**4. Conclusions**

In this investigation, the purpose was to fully study the mechanical behavior and failure mode of steel–concrete connection joints by static model tests, especially to determine the strain distribution rule of the main components and the typical failure mode of such joints. The following conclusions can be drawn based on the present study.

1. Compared with the previous experimental results in Table 3, the present results indicated that the proposed joints showed excellent bearing capacity and deformability. The yield load of Specimen 1 and Specimen 2 was 3200 kN and 3400 kN, respectively. The ultimate load of Specimen 1 and Specimen 2 was 5200 kN and 5400 kN, respectively. Furthermore, the ultimate displacement of Specimen 1 was 59.01 mm and the ultimate displacement of Specimen 2 reached 68.31 mm.


In this study, we focused on the experimental investigation of steel–concrete connection joints. However, the numerical analysis is also important for a full understanding of mechanical behavior and failure mode of such joints. We will perform the numerical analysis in another article in detail.

**Author Contributions:** Writing—original draft manuscript, Y.T.; conceptualization, Y.T., W.Y. and B.Z.; experiment operation, Y.T., L.Q., T.Y. and T.W.; data collection, Y.T., L.Q., T.Y. and T.W.; data analysis, Y.T., L.Q. and T.Y.; figures, Y.T. and L.Q.; writing—review and editing, Y.T., B.Z. and W.Y. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** The research described in this paper was supported by the Scientific Research Service for the Lingang Yangtze River Bridge on the Zigong-Yibin Line of the newly built South Sichuan Intercity Railway (No. SRIG2019FW0001) and the Scientific Research and Development Project of the China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co. Ltd. (No. 16–18).

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
