Review of reinforced coupler systems in codes

Today reinforcement bar connection and continuity can be achieved by mechanical splices as an alternative to the classical overlap method and welded method. In this study, mechanical splices are discussed in six sections. In the first section, the previous studies and result about the mechanical splices were mentioned. In the second section mechanical properties of reinforced bar are examined. In the third chapter, mechanical connection types and calculation methods are examined. Mechanical connections in TS 500, Eurocode-2, ACI 318-08 and TBDY 2019 regulations are researched. In the fourth chapter, the effects of mechanical splice usage to the development length instead of anchor according to ACI 318-14 regulation are examined with numerical examples. In the fifth chapter, the behaviour of mechanical splices under monotonic tensile tests, slip tests and high-cycle fatigue tests are examined. In the last section, the results are evaluated, and some suggestions are presented about the TBDY 2019 Appendix-8A. Key Words: Mechanical splice, Coupler, Mechanical Connection Test