{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T01:09:18Z","timestamp":1788916158146,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]],"date-time":"2026-03-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773964800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ming Rong Yuan Business Co., Ltd.","award":["N\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["N\/A"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Precast reinforced concrete (RC) structures offer advantages in terms of construction efficiency and quality control; however, their seismic performance is governed by the behavior of the beam\u2013column connections. This study presents an experimental investigation of the cyclic response of precast RC beam\u2013column joints that include a composite steel connection, designed to enhance strength, stiffness, and damage control in critical regions. A composite joint specimen was tested under displacement-controlled cyclic loading, and its behavior was compared with that of a corresponding pure RC connection. Experimental results showed that the composite configuration effectively prevented premature failure at the beam\u2013column interface, relocated plastic hinges away from the joint core, and significantly improved the load-carrying capacity, stiffness, and energy dissipation. To interpret the experimental observations and examine the internal stress transfer and evolution of damage, a three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element model was developed. The simulations reproduced the observed modes of failure, shapes of deformation, hysteretic responses, and moment distribution trends, particularly in the post-yield and strain-hardening ranges. Although the pinching effects observed experimentally were not fully captured numerically, the overall levels of agreement in the ultimate strength and plastic hinge locations were satisfactory. The combined results indicate that composite steel-reinforced precast beam\u2013column joints represent a promising solution for improving seismic performance.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma19061233","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T08:49:28Z","timestamp":1774255768000},"page":"1233","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Seismic Performance of Precast Reinforced Concrete Beam\u2013Column Connections with Embedded Steel Sections"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8405-238X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Banu Ardi","family":"Hidayat","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang 50275, Indonesia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5322-7503","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yanuar","family":"Haryanto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto 53122, Indonesia"},{"name":"National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering, Taipei 106, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8582-0670","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hsuan-Teh","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Feng-Chien","family":"Su","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Feng Chien Professional Civil Engineer Workshop, Tainan 701, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fu-Pei","family":"Hsiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering, Taipei 106, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1956-3009","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laurencius","family":"Nugroho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2323-120X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bobby Rio","family":"Indriyantho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang 50275, Indonesia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"family":"Erich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lu, T., Wang, B., Jin, H., and Wen, Y. 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