Precast composite structures are new trend in construction technology in China due to their high sustainability and structural performance. As Chinese construction companies enter Africa continuously, the Chinese developed technologies are increasingly applied in Africa. A novel precast prestressing composite structure, developed in China, is believed to have a good prospect in Africa. In this study, a design method of the novel precast structure based on the African design system was developed to promote the application in Africa.
The structural design systems in Africa and China were compared to help designers know the difference between the two design systems and develop a better design method for the new precast prestressed composite frame in Africa. It can be found that the basic theory of the two design systems is similar, but the technical design parameters and equations are different.
The structural design method of the novel precast structure was built with African design system. The basic structural design steps based on the limit state method according to Eurocodes were established, and the seismic design process for the novel precast structure was also developed based on equivalent lateral seismic force method. Some important structural details of the novel frame for earthquakes based on African manner were presented.
The developed detailed design method of the novel structure was applied by designing a four storey novel building structure expected in Huye City at Southern Province of Rwanda. The design results were validated by comparison with results of the novel four storey building structure constructed in Suzhou, China. It is shown that both design systems provide safe design since all the results are within allowable limit, and the Chinese design method is more economical but the African design method is more conservative.
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