Steel and Composite Structures

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Shear performance of screwed sleeve connection for modular steel structures

  • Xinyi Song (JiangSu Key Laboratory of Environmental Impact and Structural Safety in Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology) ;
  • Xiaoyu Yan (JiangSu Key Laboratory of Environmental Impact and Structural Safety in Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology) ;
  • Zhanguo Ma (JiangSu Key Laboratory of Environmental Impact and Structural Safety in Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology) ;
  • Yidu Bu (School of Sustainability, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Surrey) ;
  • Pinhan Wen (JiangSu Key Laboratory of Environmental Impact and Structural Safety in Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology) ;
  • Ying Wang (JiangSu Key Laboratory of Environmental Impact and Structural Safety in Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology) ;
  • Hongfei Chang (JiangSu Key Laboratory of Environmental Impact and Structural Safety in Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology)
  • Received : 2025.09.15
  • Accepted : 2025.12.16
  • Published : 2026.06.10
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Abstract

The connection between modules is critical to ensuring the overall structural safety of modular steel buildings. However, many existing modular systems require openings to be made in the column walls, which adversely affect the global structural performance. Additionally, existing non-opening connection systems generally exhibit relatively low stiffness and load-bearing capacity. To address these issues, this study proposes a novel connection, screwed sleeve connection (SSC) for modular steel structures, which connects modules inside the columns and preserves the integrity of the modules. Four sets of symmetric connections were tested to investigate its shear performance, considering the influences of sleeve diameter, sleeve thickness and different connection configurations. Test results show that connection failure is governed by the screwed sleeve (SS), progressing through four stages: shearing of the locating rod (LR), yielding of the sleeve, buckling of the sleeve and strengthening of the sleeve. A finite element model was developed and validated against the experimental results, followed by parametric analyses. Subsequent parametric analyses revealed that the sleeves diameter and thickness are key factors affecting the shear performance. A 40% increase in the sleeve-to-column thickness ratio led to a 31.97% increase in the shear strength, while a 24% increase in the sleeve diameter-to-column cavity net width ratio led to a 27.84% increase. A simplified model is proposed to predict the shear strength of SSC, showing satisfactory accuracy for practical engineering applications.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The financial supports of the National Science Foundation of China (grant number U23A20598, U22A20598, 51978657), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2021ZDPY0209, 2024-10953), Graduate Innovation Program of China University of Mining and Technology(2024WLKXJ040) and Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX24_2793) are greatly appreciated.

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