Behavior of V-shaped angle shear connectors: experimental and parametric study

In this paper a new shear connector called V-shaped angle shear connector for steel-concrete composite system is proposed. This shear connector was proven to improve some mechanical properties of shear connectors, including high shear transfer, uplift resistance, sufficient ductility, and strength degradation resistance under cyclic loading, as well as to being cost effective compared with similar shear connectors, such as C-shaped channel and angle shear connectors. A total of 14 push-out tests were performed on composite beams with these connectors under monotonic and low cyclic loading. The failure mode, shear resistance, and ductility of the push-out specimens were investigated. The study also comprises of finite element and parametric analysis using an effective numerical model of the experimental push-out tests using the program ABAQUS. The finite element models were validated against the test results presented in experimental tests. Results showed that V-shaped angle shear connector has excellent behavior in terms of both shear strength and ductility. In addition, high resistance under cyclic loading was exhibited since the shear resistance of this connector was almost similar in both monotonic and cyclic loadings. Finite element results show good agreement with experimental results. The results discussed on the ductility and strength of this connector with different size and slope of inclination. In addition, the channel and angle shear connectors were compared with V-shaped angle shear connectors. V-shaped angle shear connectors behave much better than other similar connectors, such as normal angle shear connectors, and are superior to channel shear connectors in most specimens.