Mechanical splices, also named mechanical couplers or rebar couplers. As we know, mechanical splices offer construction personnel the following benefits:

#1 Reduced Rebar Congestion

A common complaint of concrete placing crews is that they can’t get the concrete through the rebar cages. Laps effectively double the steel to concrete ratio, and the resulting congestion can restrict the flow and distribution of larger aggregate particles and limit the effectiveness of vibration. Mechanical splices will significantly reduce this congestion.

#2 Reduced Material Costs

Because mechanical splices do not overlap, less rebar is used, reducing the material costs. This cost savings can be particularly significant for jobs requiring expensive epoxy- coated or galvanized bars, since building codes require up to 50% longer splice laps for these bars than for standard rebars.

#3 Improved Structural Integrity

Mechanical splices maintain load path continuity of the reinforcement, independent of the condition or existence of the concrete. To use splices in tensile regions, they must be able to develop the full strength of the rebar and not create a weak point. Therefore the performance of the system is assured throughout the strain-hardening region where plastic deformations occur. In seismic applications, mechanical splices maintain structural integrity when bars are stressed beyond yield, allowing the predictable formation of plastic hinges.

#4 Elimination of Lap Splice Calculations

Mechanical splicing does away with the tedious calculations needed to determine proper lap lengths and the potential calculation errors.

#5 No Reliance on Concrete For Load Transfer

In coastal regions, rebar corrosion can produce concrete delamination and spalling. Since lap splices transfer load through the surrounding concrete, when the concrete is gone, the lap splice in effect has failed. Mechanical splices do not rely on the concrete for load transfer and therefore maintain structural integrity.