High-Rise Modular Steel Building Nodes With Pull-Rod Shear Locks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modular steel structure buildings face challenges in high seismic intensity regions due to insufficient lateral restraint, lack of tensile overload protection, and inefficient assembly mechanisms, particularly in high-rise applications, leading to weakened connections and increased construction costs.
Innovation Solution
A high-rise modular steel structure building node with a pull rod shear lock system that includes an upper and lower anchorage device, sleeves, and an injection pipe for epoxy resin adhesive, providing reliable lateral restraint and tensile overload protection through a bolted connection mechanism that eliminates mounting clearances and allows efficient assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If mechanical locking with shear-resistant keys (bolts and pins) is used to provide lateral restraint between modules, then lateral constraint capacity is improved, but mounting clearance (about 5 mm) must be left around the shear keys to facilitate installation, which weakens overall and lateral rigidity of high-rise modular steel structure buildings in high seismic intensity regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical locking system (bolts and pins requiring 5mm clearance) with a grout-filled connection system. The connection node includes a connection surface between upper and lower module units that is filled with grout material, eliminating the need for mechanical shear keys and their associated mounting clearances. This substitution provides both lateral restraint and achieves rigid connection without clearance gaps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces grout material as an intermediary substance between the connection surfaces of upper and lower module units. The grout fills the connection node and provides both lateral restraint and rigid connection, acting as a mediating material that transmits forces while eliminating the need for mechanical fasteners and their clearance requirements.
2Ease of operation
If friction between upper and lower module units is used to provide lateral constraint, then assembly is simplified, but under earthquake action significant drawing forces on side columns and corner columns reduce positive pressure at the interface, weakening lateral constraints and shear-resistant capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the friction-based lateral constraint system with a grout-filled connection system. Instead of relying on friction that depends on positive pressure at the interface (which is reduced under earthquake drawing forces), the grout material provides direct shear resistance and lateral restraint that is independent of interface pressure, thereby improving reliability under seismic conditions.
3Productivity
If dry operation is used to ensure construction speed, then on-site construction efficiency is improved, but reliable lateral restraint mechanism between upper and lower module units becomes insufficient in high seismic intensity regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-filling the connection nodes with grout material before module assembly. The grout is placed in the connection nodes during factory production or pre-prepared, so that when modules are assembled on-site through dry operation, the lateral restraint mechanism is already in place, providing both construction speed and reliable lateral restraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The grout material serves as an intermediary that enables both dry operation and reliable lateral restraint. It fills the connection nodes to provide lateral constraint while allowing the connection to be made through simple dry assembly without requiring wet construction operations, thus maintaining construction speed while improving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances shear-resistant capacity, provides secondary tensile bearing capacity, and reduces connection costs by ensuring rapid assembly and disassembly, maintaining structural integrity during earthquakes and hurricanes.
Implementation Method 1
an injection pipe for injecting the epoxy resin adhesive into the clearance in the shear bearing area of pull rod shear lock
Data Source
AI summary
The building node includes an upper unit column, a lower unit column, an upper unit bottom beam, a lower unit ceiling beam, an upper connecting box, a lower connecting box, a connecting plate, an upper anchorage device, a lower anchorage device, an upper sleeve, a lower sleeve, a pull rod shear lock, position limiting nuts, and an injection pipe. The lower anchorage device is fixedly connected to the top plate of the lower connecting box; the lower position limiting nut is fixedly connected to the lower anchorage device; one end of the lower sleeve is fixedly connected to the lower anchorage device, and another end of the lower sleeve is fixedly connected to the top plate of the lower connecting box; the bottom of the upper sleeve is fixedly connected to the bottom plate of the upper connecting box.