Research Information System
Journal of Building Engineering, vol.122, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Post-tensioned buildings offer advantages such as lighter concrete frames, lower seismic demands, and greater resistance to concentrated loads. Although extensive research was conducted on post-tensioned precast beam-to-column joints, the seismic response of post-tensioned cast-in-place reinforced concrete connections has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, the seismic performance of such test sub-assemblages was experimentally examined together with numerical simulations of reinforced concrete frames consisting of post-tensioned beams. In this scope, the main test variables were selected as mild steel ratio, tendon area, and connection type. Experimental results were studied by comparing the base shear-lateral displacement, moment-curvature, crack width, dissipated energy, equivalent viscous damping ratio, and stiffness degradation relations of the test specimens. Following the calibration between experimental data and computational models, non-linear time-history analyses were performed on a prototype building to specify seismic response modification factors as a function of drift ratio demands. It was found that use of a smaller response modification factor than that designated for ductile moment-resisting reinforced concrete frames may be more appropriate for the seismic design of such systems.