Shear Resistance of Perfobond Rib Shear Connectors under Cyclic Loading

Perfobond rib shear connectors (known as PBL shear connectors) are structures widely used to transfer loads between concrete and steel structural elements. The performance of PBL shear connectors under monotonic loads has been extensively reported; however, their shear resistance under cyclic loads is not well investigated. A total of 13 PBL shear connector specimens were designed to explore their performance under cyclic displacement. The crack patterns and hysteretic load-slip responses of the specimens were observed. The cyclic displacement changed the crack development and accelerated the deterioration of the cohesive strength and shear-friction force. Cyclic loading weakened the transverse expansion of the damaged concrete dowel and reduced the contribution from the transverse reinforcement. On the basis of the test results, a theoretical method for estimating the peak shear resistance of a PBL shear connector under cyclic loading is proposed. The proposed model exhibits good accuracy in comparison with the test results.