In composite structures, the perfobond connector is an alternative type of shear connector which consists of a steel plate with a certain number of holes. The load–slip relationship is critical for structural analysis and numerical simulation of composite structures using perfobond connectors. In this study, push-out tests were conducted on 72 specimens to obtain the load–slip behaviors of perfobond connectors. Based on the test results, parametric study was performed to analyze the effects of changing the hole geometry, the concrete strength, the configuration of the rebar in hole, the dimensions of the perfobond rib, and the size of the concrete slab. Furthermore, the characteristics and physical meanings of the load–slip curves were analyzed, and the limits and conditions for theoretical expressions were derived. Finally, an analytical model was proposed to express the load–slip relationship of perfobond connectors covering a wide range of design variables.
In steel and concrete composite bridges, it is difficult to perforate the reinforcing bars through the circular holes of conventional perfobond shear connectors with multi-ribs. To ease the installation of perforating rebars, an alternative notched perfobond shear connector was proposed by cutting out the edge of the circular hole. This paper presents the push-out test results of six specimens which were fabricated and loaded to failure. The main purpose was to compare the failure mode, shear capacity and slip behavior of perfobond shear connectors using circular holes and notched holes. Furthermore, 43 nonlinear finite element simulations were performed to further study the effects of several variables, including the hole diameter, the hole distance, the hole number, the cut width, the perfobond thickness, the concrete strength, the rebar diameter, the rebar strength, and the steel strength. The parametric results were generated to evaluate the shear capacity equations for perfobond shear connectors. Finally, an analytical model was developed to estimate the shear capacity of notched perfobond shear connectors.
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