Adaptability of precast concrete external wall panels to steel frame deformation with flexible connectors

A cantilever holder-girth (CHG) flexible connector was proposed for improving the adaptability of precast concrete (PC) external wall panels to the deformation of the steel frame under severe seismic loads. Three specimens of full-size single-span two-story steel frames with PC external wall panels (composite, open-window, and integral) were designed and tested. Low cyclic loading was applied to the steel frame, and a horizontal force was applied to the external wall panels as inertial force. The results showed that the external wall panels with flexible connectors had good adaptability to the deformation of the steel frame. The maximum deformation of the CHG flexible connector reached 27.16 mm even when the external wall panels were subjected to rare earthquakes such as a magnitude 9 earthquake. The displacement angle of the external wall panels was only 0.0026 rad when the steel frame reached a 2.4 % story drift angle.