Development of an Innovative Boltless Connection for Multistory Modular Buildings
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 7
Abstract
This paper introduces an innovative three-piece boltless connection for assembly of volumetric building units or modules in multistory modular buildings. The proposed connection comprises a vertical connector and an independent horizontal connector. Overall development was targeted for steel and steel-hybrid modules of the corner-supported or selective bearing type, and on satisfying certain structural, constructional, and manufacturing performance requirements. The vertical connector makes use of a standard mechanism to enable fast, simple, safe, and remote operability, whereas the proposed horizontal connector uses a simple transfer plate. Details regarding the design of the connector and the experimental verification of its structural and functional performances are presented in this paper. Structural performance tests were conducted to verify key axial and shear characteristics, whereas functional performance tests were performed to assess the overall functionality after connector fabrication, test specimen fabrication, specific stages of loading, and during remote operation. The results highlight that the proposed connection satisfactorily meets its key expectations and can provide quantum improvements to the current modular construction industry for realizing fully modular buildings.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the Cooperative Research Centers Program for Low Carbon Living (CRC-LCL) and associated partners for supporting this research (RP1031), and the Smart Structures Laboratory of Swinburne University of Technology.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 7 • July 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 30, 2021
Accepted: Feb 23, 2022
Published online: May 9, 2022
Published in print: Jul 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Oct 9, 2022
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Cited by
- Sriskanthan Srisangeerthanan, M. Javad Hashemi, Pathmanathan Rajeev, Emad Gad, Saman Fernando, Numerical study on performance assessment of an innovative boltless connection for modular building construction, Thin-Walled Structures, 10.1016/j.tws.2023.110622, 185, (110622), (2023).
- E. Bazarchi, A. Davaran, C.P. Lamarche, N. Roy, S. Parent, Experimental and numerical investigation of a novel vertically unconstrained steel inter-modular connection, Thin-Walled Structures, 10.1016/j.tws.2022.110364, 183, (110364), (2023).