Shear behavior of a strain hardening cementitious composites (SHCC)-Grooved steel composite deck

The deterioration and premature failure of an orthotropic steel deck pavement during its service period is a pressing issue. Strain hardening cementitious composites (SHCC) possess an extreme tensile ductility, in the range of 3%-5% (about 300-500 times that of concrete). Using SHCC as a steel deck pavement can enhance the overall stiffness of a deck system. In this paper, an SHCC-grooved steel composite structure is the research object, and the tooth spacing, tooth width, and tooth height are the parameters. The shear behavior of an SHCC-grooved steel composite structure was studied using a compression shear test and the digital image correlation method. The response surface method was used to analyze the significant influence of the test parameters on the shear capacity, and the response model of the shear capacity was established. The calculation formula of the shear capacity of an SHCC-grooved steel composite structure was established based on the theory of the diagonal compression strut. The experimental results show that the cracking of a shear diagonal SHCC leads to the ultimate failure of an SHCC-grooved steel composite structure. The angle between the main crack and the shear load direction ranges from 30 to 45 degrees. The failure process of the composite structure can be divided into 4 stages: linear elasticity, elastic-plastic, slip hardening, and instability failure. The order of the influence of the test parameters on the shear capacity is the tooth spacing > tooth height > tooth width. The response surface model can optimize and predict the shear capacity of the composite structure under different parameters within a certain range. The calculated values of the shear capacity model based on the theory of the diagonal compression strut agree well with the experimental values, and the calculated values are favorable for safety. This research can provide a reference for the shear design of an SHCC-grooved steel composite structure.