Developing Fragility Curves for Precast Concrete Structures

The use of precast concrete structures - due to better quality and reduced time to build- is a suitable economic option for multi-story buildings. In many countries, prefabricated structural systems are generally very economical structures compared with other conventional residential structures.
Prefabricated structures are classified in four categories: large panel systems, frame systems, columns - slabs together with wall systems and complex systems. The system which will be addressed in this study is the large panel system. This system can be applied to structures in which the precast load bearing walls are used as the main system to withstand large loads. As the seismic behavior of these structures severely depends on vertical and horizontal connections between panels, therefore the behavior of these connections are studied in this research. Horizontal connections are the connections which are placed horizontally and are used to connect panels laterally. Vertical connections connect upper parts of a panel to the lower parts.
Due to the placement of the panels together, three distinct forms of structures built with prefabricated panels are classified as follows: