Fatigue assessment in steel-concrete composite structure utilising blind bolt shear connector

![CDATA[The main purpose of this study is to assess the fatigue performance of composite steel-concrete beams using blind bolt shear connectors when subjected to cycling loading. The effects of fatigue loading are a critical requirement in optimising the behaviour of shear connectors but most of the previous studies have been carried out to determine the fatigue life of conventional shear studs in steel- concrete composite beams. Hence to evaluate the behaviour of bolted shear connectors subjected fatigue loading, more research is needed. Bolted shear connectors comprise of high strength bolts or threaded rods and their installation need construction operations on both the top and bottom sides of the concrete slab. In contrast, the blind bolt shear connector can be unbolted and bolted from one side only, thus reducing traffic disruptions on the bridge. In this study, the fatigue behaviour of composite beams with blind bolt shear connectors were experimentally investigated using direct shear tests. The direct shear test results are plotted for the blind bolt shear connector in terms of applied stress range to the connector versus cycles to failure (S-N diagram). In addition, the current Eurocode 4 recommended design equation for welded shear studs is plotted. Results demonstrated that the blind bolt shear connectors had higher fatigue strength than headed shear stud. More fatigue tests need to be carried out in future research to determine design S-N curves for blind bolt shear connectors.]]