Experimental and numerical study on static behavior of grouped large-headed studs embedded in UHPC

Abstract

The static behavior of grouped large-headed studs (d = 30 mm) embedded in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) was investigated by conducting push-out tests and numerical analysis. In the push-out test, no splitting cracks were found in the UHPC slab, and the shank failure control the shear capacity, indicating the large-headed stud matches well with the mechanical properties of UHPC. Besides, it is found that the shear resistance of the stud embedded in UHPC is 11.4% higher than that embedded in normal strength concrete, indicating that the shear resistance was improved. Regarding the numerical analysis, the parametric study was conducted to investigate the influence of the concrete strength, aspect ratio of stud, stud diameter, and the spacing of stud in the direction of shear force on the shear performance of the large-headed stud. It is found that the stud diameter and stud spacing have an obvious influence on the shear resistance. Based on the test and numerical analysis results, a formula was established to predict the load-slip relationship. The comparison indicates that the predicted results agree well with the test results. To accurately predict the shear resistance of the stud embedded in UHPC, a design equation for shear strength is proposed. The ratio of the calculation results to the test results is 0.99.