Strength and ductility of headed stud shear connectors in profiled steel sheeting

This paper details the results and subsequent analysis of 27 push tests performed using a new push rig, which investigate the effect of variables such as mesh position, transverse spacing of shear connectors, number of shear connectors per trough and the slab depth on the resistance of headed stud shear connectors through-deck welded into a transverse deck.The analysis of these tests not only allowed characteristic resistances to be determined for the headed stud shear connectors in each case, but also enabled comparisons to be made to determine the effect of the different variables on the resistance. It found that within the limits tested the transverse spacing of the shear connectors has little effect on the resistance, and that including a third shear connector gives no benefit over using shear connectors in pairs. Locating the mesh at the top of the slab, as is common practice for crack control, gives sufficient ductility for design using the minimum shear connection rules in BS EN 1994-1-1, 6.6.1.2 (i.e. the characteristic slip capacity is greater than 6 mm, as required by BS EN 1994-1-1, 6.6.1.1(5)), but a strength enhancement of approximately 30% can be found by locating the mesh directly on top of the profiled steel sheeting. The results also indicated that the resistance increases with slab depth, but it is not clear if this is an effect of the push test or is a genuine effect of composite construction. Design rules based on these tests are proposed.