Western Canada Connections of Hollow-Core Slabs to Masonry Walls

Precast, prestressed hollow-core slabs (HCS) are widely used in buildings since they offer an economical solution for a floor or roof system, especially those with large spans due to the reduced weight. Reinforcing bar connections are commonly used to connect these HCS to the building structure. These connections serve as structural integrity reinforcing ties to avoid floor displacements under lateral loads. This paper investigates the performance of reinforcing bar connections of HCS to supporting masonry walls used in Western Canada. These connections involve placing a 10 M, L-shaped steel reinforcing connection bar in grouted shear keys between HCS segments from one end, while the other end is wrapped behind 15 M vertical wall reinforcement. The parameter included in this paper is the location of the HCS in a 10-storey building: 5th floor or 10th floor (roof) with parapet. Two full-scale specimens were tested under monotonic in-plane tension forces until failure. The HCS segments, measuring 1220 × 1220 × 203 mm were supported on a 3990-mm long masonry wall with 76-mm seating/bearing length. The results showed that the connection bar satisfied the requirements of North American codes for three storeys or more. Additionally, it was found that the floors on top of the slab enhance the capacity of the connection. These findings provide valuable insights for the construction industry, ensuring safer, and code-compliant practices in using HCS in building structures.