Effect of strain profiles on the behavior of shear connectors for composite steel-concrete beams

In composite steel-concrete construction applications, the behavior of the shear connectors is paramount to the overall system performance. The most common method for evaluating shear connector strength and its behavior is through the use of a push test. Push tests have been used as early as the 1960's to predict the strength and behavior of shear studs in solid slabs. The performance of steel-concrete composite structures is greatly dependent on the load-slip characteristics of shear connectors. Significant research work has been performed on composite beams in regard to their stiffness and ductility of the shear connectors for both solid and profiled slabs. This paper describes the strength and ductility of the shear connectors in composite beams with both the solid and profiled steel sheeting slabs when different strain regimes were implemented in the concrete element. An accurate non-linear finite element model using ABAQUS is developed herein to study the behavior of shear connectors for both solid and profiled steel sheeting slabs. The reason for employing different strain regimes in push tests is to properly simulate the behavior of shear connectors in composite beams where trapezoidal slabs are used. The pertinent results obtained from the finite element analysis were verified against experimental results from other researchers. Based on the finite element analysis and experimental results, it has been determined that the strength and the load-slip behavior of composite steel-concrete beams is greatly influenced by the strain regimes existent in the concrete element.