Circular openings with transverse rebar as steel-concrete shear connection (part 1/2): Analytical model for strength and slip capacity

Abstract

Aiming to better utilize the strength and slip capacity of Circular Openings with Transverse Rebar shear connectors when benefited by concrete confinement, situation in which failure mode is governed by the transverse rebar, an innovative analytical model capable of predicting the whole load-slip curve of the shear connection was proposed. This is the first analytical model in the literature capable of predicting the load-slip curve and slip capacity of a shear connector. This development has potential applications in structural ductility evaluation and composite interaction optimization. The model applies plasticity theory and combines different formulations of the literature to describe the different mechanisms that develop as the connection is subjected to slip between steel plate and concrete, including second-order catenary action in the rebar, deformation of concrete inside the opening, shear and friction at the slip interfaces. This paper is the part 1/2 of the work and presents the whole mathematical formulation of the model. In the part 2/2, the model is confronted with experimental results and is applied to perform a parametric analysis of the connection’s behavior.