Research on the flexural behavior of a novel inter-module connection with a bolt and shear key fitting for modular steel buildings

Modular steel buildings (MSBs) can meet the needs of building industrialization and have been developed in many countries. The inter-module connection is crucial to the overall performance of MSBs. An inter-module connection with bolt and shear key fitting was proposed in this paper, which is convenient for the on-site erection of the steel modules. The flexural performance of the connection was studied. Static tests were carried out to study the contribution of the key load-bearing components to the flexural performance of the novel connection. A finite element model was then proposed and verified, by which a parametric analysis to study the effects of the key components was conducted. It is found that the parameters significantly affecting the flexural performance of the connection include the diameter of the bolt and the thickness of the bottom plate. The results also showed that the contribution of the shear key to the flexural performance of the connection could be ignored. The flexural performance of multi-module connection was studied, and the results revealed that the multi-module connection can be designed as multiple two-module connections. Formulas for calculating the flexural capacity and rotational stiffness of the connection were finally proposed and verified.