TY - JOUR
T1 - Horizontal pushout tests and parametric analyses of a locking-bolt demountable shear connector
AU - He, Jun
AU - Suwaed, Ahmed S. H.
AU - Vasdravellis, George
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council of the UK, Grant EP/P004253/1, and the European Commission (project REUSE: 793787). The authors are grateful to the technicians at the Heavy Structures Lab at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and does not reflect the views of the sponsors and supporters.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Institution of Structural Engineers
PY - 2022/1
Y1 - 2022/1
N2 - A ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and ductility of the LBDSC are assessed. The experimental results show that the LBDSC can achieve higher shear resistance and similar initial stiffness as compared to traditional welded studs. In addition, all tested LBDSCs exhibited slip capacities ranging from 14 to 32 mm and can be classified as ductile shear connectors according to Eurocode 4. A detailed finite element model was also created and found to be reliable to reproduce the experimental behaviour. Parametric studies were subsequently conducted using the validated model to study further parameters and generalise the experimental results. Due to the specific test setup, non-negligible uplift forces were generated in the connector and the potential implications are discussed.
AB - A ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and ductility of the LBDSC are assessed. The experimental results show that the LBDSC can achieve higher shear resistance and similar initial stiffness as compared to traditional welded studs. In addition, all tested LBDSCs exhibited slip capacities ranging from 14 to 32 mm and can be classified as ductile shear connectors according to Eurocode 4. A detailed finite element model was also created and found to be reliable to reproduce the experimental behaviour. Parametric studies were subsequently conducted using the validated model to study further parameters and generalise the experimental results. Due to the specific test setup, non-negligible uplift forces were generated in the connector and the potential implications are discussed.
KW - Demountable connector
KW - Grout-filled tube
KW - Locking bolt
KW - Shear resistance
KW - Slip capacity
KW - Steel-concrete composite beam
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120172776&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.istruc.2021.11.041
DO - 10.1016/j.istruc.2021.11.041
M3 - Article
SN - 2352-0124
VL - 35
SP - 667
EP - 683
JO - Structures
JF - Structures
ER -