Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 83-94 (2025)
AN INNOVATIVE STEEL INTERLOCKING TIE SYSTEM FOR
COMPOSITE WALLS IN MODULAR INTEGRATED CONSTRUCTION
Xiao-Kang Zou 1, Ming-Yang Li 2, Wen-Jie Lu 1, *, Jiang Huang 3, Jun Shi 3 and Yao-Peng Liu 4
1 Structures Research Hub, China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd., Hong Kong, China
2 School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
3 China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd., Hong Kong, China
4 School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
*(Corresponding author: E-mail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Received: 2 October 2024; Revised: 21 December 2024; Accepted: 22 December 2024
DOI:10.18057/IJASC.2025.21.1.8
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ABSTRACT
This paper proposes an innovative steel interlocking tie system for composite walls in reinforced concrete Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), eliminating the need for tie bolts penetrating precast sidewalls. This design facilitates complete factory interior fitting and minimizes on-site disruption to internal finishes. Experimental tests for the proposed steel interlocking system have been conducted and the advanced finite element models for the investigation of the system have been developed. Six case studies comparing density-based topology optimization and empirical optimization using finite element analysis are presented. The empirical optimization demonstrates high computational efficiency, as it does not require elaborate iterative analysis and produces a design comparable to that from topology optimization. The final optimized shape has 49.8% of the weight of the initial design and an average mechanical performance difference of 3.02% compared to the topology optimization.Six case studies comparing density-based topology optimization and empirical optimization using finite element analysis reveal that empirical optimization achieves comparable mechanical performance with significantly reduced computational cost and time. Furthermore, the system's adaptability is demonstrated through adjustments to interlocking tie dimensions accommodating to accommodate varying tying positions and wall thicknesses, effectively controlling wall deformations and meeting strength and stiffness requirements under the requirements of certain wall deformations, strength and stiffness. A successful real-world application in a Hong Kong MiC project is also presented, offering and offers practical guidance for future MiC implementations.
KEYWORDS
Modular integrated construction (MiC), Interlocking tie system, Finite element analysis, Topology optimization
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