Correlation of Beam Tests with Pushout Tests in Steel-Concrete Composite Beams

Abstract

Controversy has risen about the suitability of small-scaled pushout tests to satisfactorily model the behavior of shear connections in composite beams. However, the determination of the strength of the shear connectors from full-scale composite beam tests is expensive, complicated, and subject to modeling inaccuracies. The results of several composite beam tests incorporating trapezoidal steel decking are presented along with the results of companion pushout tests. These were especially designed to deliver insight into the ductility of the shear connection when subject to the so-called “brittle” failure modes of the concrete slab observed in small-scale pushout tests, and to examine the suitability of novel reinforcing measures such as waveform reinforcement components or stud performance-enhancing devices. The comparison of the shear connection performance in both the carefully conducted pushout tests where no additional lateral restraints were employed and the beam tests demonstrated that the failure modes experienced were identical, the load-slip behavior was also similar, and comparable connector strengths were achieved. The requirement of sufficiently ductile shear connection behavior in achieving a satisfactory composite beam performance was also established in these tests.