Shear connector systems for composite beam with cold-formed steel of lipped C-Channel section.

Abstract

Headed stud is well-known shear connector, which is usually welded to the steel beam of the composite beams to connect the steel beam to the concrete slab to achieve the required composite action and limits the interface slip. Despite the efficiency of using the headed studs for Hot-Rolled Steel beams and steel plate girders, the application of headed studs may not be practical for very thin beam section such as cold-formed steel (CFS) sections due to the limitation of welding of the thin-walled steel sections. Thus, this study proposes innovative shear connector systems for composite cold-formed steel–concrete beams. The behaviour of the shear connector systems, including embedded CFS beam with/without holes, U-shaped steel bar embedded from top, embedded CFS beam and steel bar at the sides, embedded CFS beam with Bent-up tabs, and brackets at the top and bottom, were experimentally investigated through push-out tests in accordance with Eurocode 4 using 8 specimens of composite beam using different orientation. Experimental tests were aimed to determining the maximum resistance of the proposed shear connectors. The results indicated that the strength of a shear connector was very reliant on its deformation and the crushing of concrete. The ductile behaviour of most of the tested shear connectors satisfied the ductility requirements of Eurocode 4. In this study, it was concluded that the proposed shear connectors are suitable for the construction of composite beams with CFS.