A Numerical Study On Composite Joints Comprising Precast Concrete Slabs And Bolted Shear Connectors

The use of composite decks (concrete slab and steel beam) has been increasing in recent years due to their high structural efficiency. The connection between the concrete slab and the steel beam is usually made by studs that are welded to the steel beam flange. This type of connection should be completely destroyed at the end of the structure life cycle; or, in case of need to repair the connection, it is not possible to reuse it again. Thus, huge waste materials are then produced at the end of project life cycle which leads to a non-friendly condition for the environment. Therefore, it is recommended that bolted shear joints be employed for connecting the concrete slabs to steel beams. Hence, at the end of the structure life, or in case of damage, members can be easily disassembled and reused. In addition, it is proved that the structural performance of this type of joints against static loads is better than welded joints, i.e., their shear capacity is higher. In this study, the structural behavior of bolted shear connectors is investigated. For this purpose, numerical models were modeled using Abaqus software and then, were verified against the test results. Next, an extensive parametric study was performed considering different structural characteristics including reinforcement ratio, thickness and compressive strength of prefabricated concrete slab, strength, and size of bolts. The results show that the type of bolted shear connector and the concrete slab compressive strength are the most important factors affecting the behavior of the bolt shear force-displacement diagram. Also, in all cases, bolt failure was observed as the main failure mode. This study proves that the composite beam with bolted shear connectors can be a reliable alternative for the welded shear connectors currently in use which not only enhance the connection performance but also reduce the waste materials production at the end of the projects.