Slovak Journal Vol. 28, 2020, No.
1, 49 – 56
of Civil Engineering
CONNECTIONS AND JOINTS IN PRECAST CONCRETE
STRUCTURES
Ivan, HOLLY 1 * , Iyad ABRAHOIM 1
Abstract
The structural integrity of precast concrete structures mainly
depends on the connections between the precast structural
elements. The purpose of a connection is to transfer loads, re-
strain movement, and/or to provide stability to a component
or an entire structure. Therefore, the design of connections is
one of the most important aspects in the design of precast
concrete structures. All the connections should be designed
according to the valid codes. All precasters have developed
connection details over the years that suit their particular
production and erection preferences. It is common that the
structural engineer shows the internal forces and connection
locations, and the manufacturer’s engineering department
provides the final design and details of the connections. This
paper describes basic types of connections and joints used in
precast concrete structures
1 INTRODUCTION
The most extensive expansion of precast concrete structures in
Slovakia was in the second half of the 20th century. The develop-
ment of precast skeleton construction in the former Czechoslovak
Republic had begun around 1930. The beginnings of prefabrication
were mainly related to the development of the intensively evolving
industry. A similar situation occurred after the Second World War
and was related to the repair of damaged industrial facilities. Af-
ter 1960, the building of skeletons for non-residential constructions
(hospitals, offices, shops, cultural facilities, etc.) began. In Czecho-
slovakia approximately 30 prefabricated skeleton systems were de-
veloped (Harvan, 2007).
Precast construction (also known as “prefabricated” construction)
includes those buildings where the majority of the structural compo-
nents are standardized and produced in plants in a location away from
the construction and then transported to the site for assembly. These
components are manufactured by industrial methods based on mass
production in order to build a large number of buildings in a short
time at a low cost (Sanghvi, 2015).
© 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.Org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
DOI: 10.2478/sjce-2020-0007
Address
1
Dept. of Concrete Structures and Bridges, Faculty of Civil
Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava,
Bratislava, Slovakia
* Corresponding author: ivan.holly@stuba.sk
Key words
●● C
 oncrete,
● Connections,
● Precast elements.
The most frequently used types of precast concrete elements are
columns, beams, hollow-core slabs, pocket foundations, etc. Fig. 1
illustrates some of these units.
The use of precast products is regarded in the construction stan-
dards as an advantage that helps to reduce some of the coefficients
used in design, but there are other specific advantages of precasting
that are easily noticed on site. Some of these specific advantages
are:
– Control of shrinkage: the use of lower water-to-cement ratios in
precast concrete may reduce shrinkage.
– Reduction of creep: higher strength concretes and proper curing
may produce concrete with reduced creep characteristics.
– Quality control: the factory production of precast concrete ele-
ments is inherently manufactured under the best conditions for
the forming and placement of reinforcements and concrete, vi-
brations and curing. Dimensional tolerance control is facilitated
and more easily corrected.
–Timely availability: many standardized, mass-produced el-
ements can be furnished to a construction site on very short
order.
49
Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering
Fig. 1 Typical precast units – columns, beams and a double-T beam
– Reduction in site construction time: actual erection time and
site construction time may be efficiently reduced. In favorable
circumstances, a floor of a building may be erected and jointed
in two days.
– Economy: the mass production of standardized elements reduc-
es the cost of forms and manufacturing labor, and site labor can
be kept to a minimum.
– Applicable for composite construction: precast members may
frequently be combined with cast-in-place concrete to improve
the monolithic behavior of the structure.
– Reduced maintenance: the higher quality materials and control
used in precast concrete increase durability and reduce the need
for maintenance.
2 REQUIREMENTS FOR CONNECTIONS
Strength - connection must resist the forces to which is subjected
during its lifetime. Some of these forces such as those caused by dead
and live gravity loads, wind, earth and water pressure are obvious.
Some are not so apparent and will often be overlooked. These are
forces caused by the restraint of changes in volume in the precast
components and those required to maintain stability. Joint strength
may be categorized by the type of forces that may be induced such as
compressive, tensile, flexural and torsion forces.
Ductility - is the ability of the connection to undergo large de-
formations without failure. A deformation is measured between the
first yield and ultimate failure of the structural materials used in the
connection. Ductility in a building frame is usually associated with
the moment of resistance with the flexural tension capacity provided
by the reinforcing bars, the crushing of the concrete, or the failure of
the connectors or steel embedment in the concrete.
Force transfer through compression joint having elastic modules:
a) less than the precast
b) equal to the precast
c) greater than the precast
d) greater than the precast, but with reduced breadth
Fig. 2 Vertical transfer of compressive forces
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Vol. 28, 2020, No. 1, 49 – 56
Change in volume – combined shortening due to creep, shrinkage
and temperature reductions induces tensile stresses in precast com-
ponents. The stresses must be accounted for in the connection design
by either providing stress relief details in the undertrained joint or by
providing additional reinforcing steel to resist the tensile forces in a
restrained joint.
Durability – an exposed section in a connection should be period-
ically inspected and maintained. Evidence of poor durability is usu-
ally exhibited by the corrosion of any exposed steel elements or the
cracking and spalling of the concrete. Components that are exposed
to weather should have the ir steel components adequately encased in
concrete by grout or by painted, galvanized or stainless-steel sections.
Fire resistance - connections which may be weakened by expo-
sure to fire should be protected by concrete or grout or enclosed or
sprayed with fire resistance materials. The connections should be pro-
tected to the same degree as that required for the components and the
building frame.
2.1 Compression Joints
Compressive forces can be transmitted between adjacent precast
components by a direct bearing or through an intermediate medium
such as in-situ mortar, fine concrete, bearing pads or other bearing
elements. Direct contact between the elements should be used when
a great degree of accuracy in manufacturing and erection needs to be
achieved and when the bearing stresses are small. Cementitious ma-
terials such as in-situ mortar, fine concrete or grouting are often used
in the joints between load-bearing elements in columns and walls as
well as for beam and floor elements. The nominal thickness is about
10 to 30 mm for mortar and grout and 30 to 50 mm for fine concrete.
The bedding is usually without any reinforcing bars. The mode of
failure is predicated by the crushing of the mortar or splitting of the
precast components in contact with it. Although the mortar, grout or
fine concrete is in a highly confined state under predominantly plane
stress conditions and should achieve a compressive strength higher
than fcu, a low design strength is normally used because the edges of
the bedding tend to spall off. This will lead to a non-uniform stress
distribution. The situation can be exacerbated by poor workmanship,
unintentional eccentricity, spurious bending moments, and shear forc-
es. Another fact which leads to a reduction of the joint strength is
when there is a great difference in the elastic response between the
bedded material and the precast concrete, which may result in local-
ized contraction, lateral tensile stress, and splitting forces as shown in
Fig. 2. This effect may become important when the joints thickness is
greater than 50 mm.
The position of the support reaction must be accounted for eccen-
tricities due to rotation and tolerances. The rules for this are given in
Eurocode 2 (STN EN 1992-1-1, 2015). The basic dimensions of the
bearing should be determined such that the stress under the bearing is
Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering
Fig. 3 Floor-to-floor connection (Negro and Toniolo, 2012)
limited to that of the strength of the bearing material and that of the
concrete in the connected components.
2.2 Tensile Joints
The connections with the tensile capacity are often part of the
overall tying system that should provide structural integrity and pre-
vent progressive collapse. Such a connection should be designed and
detailed to have a ductile behavior. Premature brittle failures must be
avoided and it should be possible to obtain a rupture of the ductile
components of the connections (fib Bulletin, 2008). Tensile forces are
transferred between the concrete by means of various types of steel
connectors that are anchored to each side of the elements at the joint
with a continuity achieved by the overlapping of steel bars, dowel ac-
tion, bolting or welding. The tensile capacity of the connection can
be determined by either the strength of the steel elements or by the
anchorage capacity.
2.3 Shear Joints
Shear forces can be transferred between concrete elements by ad-
hesion or friction at a joint interface, a shear-key effect at indented
joint faces, the dowel action of transverse steel bars, pins and bolts,
etc. Shear keys are generally formed by providing the precast mem-
bers with indented joint faces. The shear keys work as mechanical
locks, thereby preventing any significant slip along the joint. Shear
keys must fulfill certain minimum requirements concerning the
length, depth and inclination of the tooth. Such minimum require-
ments are given in code and design rules (fib Bulletin, 2008).
A shear transfer by bond between precast and in-situ elements is
possible, when the shear stress is low. It is not necessary to deliber-
ately roughen the surface texture of precast units beyond the as-cast
finish, which may be of a slip-forming, extrusion or tamped finish.
Shear transfer by shear friction requires the presence of a permanent
normal compressive force. The force may arise from permanent grav-
ity loads, by prestressing or be artificially induced by reinforcement
bars placed across the joints. Shear keys for the transfer of shear forc-
es between elements are obtained by cast in-situ concrete or grout in
joints between the elements which surface castellations. Under the
action of a shear load, the shear keys act as mechanical locks that
prevent significant slips at the interface.
2.4 Flexural and Torsional Joints.
Moment-resisting connections are mainly used to:
– Stabilize and increase the stiffness of portal and skeletal frames,
CONNECTIONS AND JOINTS IN PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURES...
Vol. 28, 2020, No. 1, 49 – 56
– Reduce the depth of flexural frame members,
– Distribute second order moments to beams and slabs and hence
reduce column moments,
– Improve resistance to progressive collapse.
Moment-resisting connections are primarily used in column
foundations and splices and at beam-column connections. Common
methods to achieve moment-resisting connections are the grouting
of a projecting reinforcement and the bolting or welding of anchored
steel details. Moment-resisting connections should be proportioned
such that ductile failures will occur and that the limiting strength of
the connection is not governed by shear.
3 TYPE OF CONNECTIONS
3.1 Floor-to-Floor Connections
Fig. 3 and 4 shows a floor-to-floor connection made with a con-
crete filling in a continuous joint between the adjacent elements,
which is typical of some precast products such as hollow-core slabs.
The joint has a proper shape to ensure when it is filled in, i.e., a good
interlocking with the transmission of the vertical transverse shear
forces. For the transmission of the horizontal longitudinal shear
forces, the interface’s shear strength can be improved by providing
the adjoining edges with vertical indentations. With reference to the
diaphragmatic action, this type of connection ensures the same per-
formance to the floor as a monolithic cast-in-situ floor under the con-
dition that a continuous peripheral tie is placed against the opening of
the joints. For filling it up well, the maximum size of the aggregate
of the cast-in-situ concrete should be limited with reference to the
joint’s width.
Connections in hollow core floors can be required for a wide vari-
ety of reasons. Most connection requirements are for localized forces
that range from bracing a partition or beam to hanging a ceiling (Ne-
gro and Toniolo, 2012).
3.2 Floor-to-Beam Connections
Figs. 5 and 6 show typical details of cast-in-situ connections be-
tween floor elements and supporting beams. Proper links protrude
from the upper side of the beam and overlap with those protruding
from the floor elements. Longitudinal bars are added to improve the
mutual anchorage. A concrete casting conglobates the steel links in
the joint. This type of connection ensures the transmission of forces
without sensible displacements.
51
Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering
Fig. 4 Examples of floor-to-floor connections
Fig. 5 Floor-to-beam connection (Buettner and Becker, 1998)
Fig. 6 Floor-to-beam connection
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Vol. 28, 2020, No. 1, 49 – 56
3.3 Beam-to-Column Connections
Fig. 7 and 8 shows the end connection of a beam to a supporting
column. In case (a) two dowels protrude from the top of the column
and enter the sleeves inserted in the beam. The sleeves are filled with
no-shrinkage mortar of an adequate strength to ensure the anchor-
age of the dowels by bonding. The anchorage can also be ensured
to provide the dowels with a cap fixed at the top with a screwed-in
nut. In any case the sleeve should be filled in with mortar to avoid
hammering under earthquake conditions. Case (b) refers to the same
technology but with only one dowel. The use of two dowels in the
transverse direction improves the resistance against overturning mo-
ments. Due to the much lower degree of stability against overturning
moments, the use of only one dowel is not recommended, especially
with reference to uneven load conditions during construction stages.
Other possible solutions for beam-to-column connections are
with mechanical couplers, the welding of a beam reinforcement to a
steel plate in a column, etc.
3.4 Column-to-Column Connections
Precast columns can be designed as single-storey or multi-storey
components. One possible solution of a connection between precast
concrete columns is the use of grouted splice bars. In column splice
Fig. 7 Column-to-beam connections
Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering Vol. 28, 2020, No. 1, 49 – 56

Fig. 8 Column-to-beam connections a) beam on a corbel with dowel bars, b) top beam rebar welded with a steel plate casting into a column

Fig. 9 Column-to-column connection
connections, the lower concrete column has projecting reinforcement
bars that fit into sleeves in the upper element as shown in Fig. 9a and
Fig. 10b. The upper element is lowered into position and temporarily
braced during grouting. A levelling pad must be provided for a correct
position in the vertical direction. The detailing and execution should
ensure that there is no concentration of vertical stresses in the com-
pleted connection caused by the levelling pad.
Another solution is also possible, i.e., the upper column has pro-
jecting bars that fit into sleeves in the lower column, Fig. 9b. and Fig.
10a. The latter solution gives a very simple detailing of the column,
since no ducts and no reinforcement splice need to be prepared. How-
ever, the holes in the lower column must be protected from dirt and
water, which could jeopardize the grouting.
The above connections may be considered as monolithic in a de-
sign, provided the length of the anchorage (lap length) is sufficient
and the bedding joint and grout sleeves are completely filled in. For
both solutions the number of projecting bars is limited because of the
limited space to place sleeves with appropriate spacing and a cover to
the free edges. These types of connections require good workmanship.
The projecting bar should be completely encased by grout, which is
impossible to inspect. Accuracy in the erection can be difficult to
achieve, and it is also difficult to adjust the connection afterwards.
The choice of duct size is influenced by the likely size and location of
the column bars that pass up through the column-to-column joint. In
an ideal situation, the column bars would be centrally located in the
ducts. However, in reality, the column bars can vary from the ideal
positions, but should be within certain contractual or specified toler-
ances. A duct size should be chosen to accommodate these tolerances
as well as a recommended additional 10 mm clearance to the bar to
allow the grout to flow between the duct wall and bar. Possible sizes
of a grout tube for different dowel bar diameters are shown in Table 1.
It is recommended that the inner diameter of a duct is at least 30 mm
Fig. 10 Column-to-column connection a) grout tube on the bottom
face of a column, b) grout tube on the top face of a column, c) grout
tube on the top face of a column - double-height precast column on
site
greater than the diameter of the projecting bars to ensure the complete
encasing of the bar and also to avoid the forming of air pockets. Two
types of ducts are typically used in column splices, i.e., proprietary
steel sleeves and corrugated metal ducts (fib Bulletin, 2008).
Tab. 1: Possible size of a grout tube for different dowel bar
diameters
Dowel size [mm] Grout tube size [mm]
16 40
20 40
25 60
32 60
40 80
3.5 Column-to-Foundation Connections
Fig. 11 shows two possible solutions for the connection of a col-
umn to a supporting pocket foundation. For both solutions the col-
umn is inserted within the pocket delimited by the four walls of the
foundation. It is placed on a pad over the bottom footing slab. After
the centering of the column, which is fixed with proper provisional
bracing props, the bottom gap to the footing and the peripheral gap to
the walls are filled with no-shrinkage mortar. The pocket should be
large enough to enable a good compacted filling below and around

CONNECTIONS AND JOINTS IN PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURES... 53

Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering
Fig. 11 Column-to-pocket foundation connections (Negro and
Toniolo, 2012)
the column. In the solution on the left the surfaces of the column
and foundation within the joint are smooth. In the solution on the
right, they are wrought with indentations or keys so to increase the
adherence of the mortar. Pocket with wrought surfaces is on Fig. 12a,
bottom side of the connecting column on Fig. 12b.
Other possible solutions for column-to-foundation connections
are:
– the connection of a column to the foundation obtained by the
anchorage of the reinforcing longitudinal bars protruding from
the base of the column within the corrugated sleeves inserted in
the foundation and filled with no-shrinkage mortar (Fig. 13a).
Due to their size (80 to 100 mm in diameter), the sleeves jut out
of the column profile in a wider dimension of the foundation el-
ement so that the longitudinal bars can enter without deviating
from their straight peripheral position in the column.
– the connection of a column to the foundation obtained through
steel sockets inserted in the column base and bolted to the foun-
dation (Fig. 13b). The sockets are anchored to the column by
means of pairs of bars welded to them and spliced to the current
longitudinal reinforcement by lapping. Other transverse links
can be welded to the sockets to avoid their detaching laterally.
– the connection of a column to the foundation obtained through
a steel plate (flange) attached at the column base and bolted to
the foundation (Fig. 13c). The flange may be directly or indi-
rectly joined to the longitudinal reinforcing bars of the column
by means of welding.
– the connection of a column to the foundation obtained through
prefabricated steel shoes. These are a popular option where col-
umn sizes and hence projecting base plates are large (Fig. 14),
e.g., 600 × 600 mm or more, or where the precast frame erector
chooses to reap the benefit of the immediate fixity afforded by
mechanical connectors.
3.6 Wall-to-Wall Connections
Precast wall panels are usually single-storey high panels that are
connected to each other and to the floor slabs. The connections are an
Fig. 13 Column-to-pocket foundation connections (Negro and
Toniolo, 2012)
54 CONNECTIONS AND JOINTS IN PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURES...
Vol. 28, 2020, No. 1, 49 – 56
Fig. 12 Column-to-foundation connections with wrought surfaces a)
in situ pile cap, b) column footing
integral part of the structural support system for vertical gravity loads
consisting of dead and live loads as well as for the transfer of horizon-
tal in-plane forces from the action of the floor diaphragm. There are
two principal types of joint in precast wall panels:
– vertical joints for the purpose of transferring vertical shear
forces from one wall component to the next one with relatively
minimal movement
– horizontal wall-to-floor and wall-to-foundation joints for the
transferring of compressive, tensile and shear forces from one
component to another.
3.6.1 A vertical wall joint may be formed by:
– Concentration of the reinforcement crossing the joint at the top
and bottom of the wall panels within the structural depth of the
floor. The reinforcements serve as structural ties and provide
artificial climbing forces to prevent the wall panels from sep-
arating.
– Embossment of the edges of the wall panels with a castellation
of shear keys that act as mechanical locks when the panels de-
form under shear loading (Fig. 16). Interlacing reinforcements
projecting from the edges of the panels and running along the
joint area may also be incorporated. The joint space is finally
filled with concrete or grout.
– The use of mechanical connectors, which consist of cast-in an-
chorage devices in the walls and the steel section crossing the
joint. The final connection is normally made by bolting or weld-
Fig. 14 Column-to-foundation connections with steel shoes
Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering Vol. 28, 2020, No. 1, 49 – 56

Fig. 15 Wall-to-wall connections

ing. The connections are usually located at the upper and lower
region of the wall joint.

3.6.2 Horizontal wall joint

Horizontal wall joints occur at floor levels and at transitions to the

foundation or transfer beams. The principal forces to be transferred
at the connection are essentially vertical gravity loads and horizontal
forces from diaphragm actions. For design considerations the result-
ing forces acting at the joint consist of:
– Normal to joint – compressive and tensile
– Horizontal to joint – horizontal shear
– Vertical to joint at face – vertical shear Fig. 16 Vertical wall joint (Harvan, 2008), (Precast Concrete
– Perpendicular to joint – compressive and tensile from the action Systems)
of the floor diaphragm and bending stresses from the framing
action of the wall with the floor slabs.

4 SUMMARY

The design concept of precast buildings is based on the buildabil-

ity, economy, and standardization of the precast components. Precast
structures provide for a high quality and fast construction process.
The most important parts of precast concrete structures are the con-
nections between the precast elements. In the design of precast mem-
bers and connections, all the loading and restraint conditions from the Fig. 17 Horizontal wall joint (Harvan, 2008)
casting to the end use of the structure should be considered. Special
attention should be given to the methods of stripping, storing, trans-
porting, and erecting precast elements. The stresses that develop in
the precast elements during the period from the casting to the final
connection may be more critical than the service load stresses. En-
gineers, researchers and manufacturers have developed an extensive
range of solutions, theoretical concepts, and design equations for var-
ious types of connections. Only competently designed and carefully
executed connections between precast elements will ensure the long
term and sustainable operation of a structure during its lifetime.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Develop-

ment Agency under Contract No. APVV-15-0658 and by the Scien-
tific Grant Agency VEGA under the contract No. VEGA 1/0645/20.

CONNECTIONS AND JOINTS IN PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURES... 55

Slovak Journal of Civil Engineering
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56 CONNECTIONS AND JOINTS IN PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURES
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