ABSTRACT
The crack is regard as an essential factor influencing the corrosion rate of reinforcement; hence, the crack width is strictly restricted in the codes of many countries. The precast concrete column has been promoted and developed extensively in bridge projects. However, studies regarding the cracking mechanism of joint sections and the laws of crack propagation remain incomplete. Therefore, full-scale column specimens were subjected to monotonic loading to study the cracking resistance of columns with a column-to-footing connection using grouted splice sleeves. The results showed that the deformation of precast columns was concentrated in the joint section. The cracking moment of precast columns was smaller but the tensile strain of bars was larger compared with the conventional monolithic column. After the first crack appeared, the steel tensile strain of precast columns was about 1.3 times as large as that of monolithic columns. Furthermore, one method was proposed to speculate the tensile strain of longitudinal bars under specific loads, which was based on the experimental data. The study suggests that the cracking resistance of precast columns is inferior to that of conventional monolithic columns. More reliable structural measures and reasonable design methods should be provided to ensure the durability of precast columns.
