Application of a newly puzzle shaped crestbond rib shear connector in composite beam using inverted T steel girder: An experimental study

The shear connector is the most important part of a composite beam and promotes a composite action between a steel beam and concrete slab. This paper presents the experiment results of three large-scale composite beams with a newly puzzle shaped crestbond rib shear connector. The behavior of this shear connector was investigated and the results were correlated with those obtained from the push-out-test specimens. Four-point-bending load testing was carried out on steel concrete composite beam models to consider the effects of the concrete strength, number of transverse rebars in the crestbond and the width of the concrete slab. The results of large scale experimental test include of: the deflection, ultimate load, strains of the concrete, steel beam and Perfobond connectors; the relative slip between the steel beam and the concrete slab at the end of the beams; and the relative failure mechanism. The results showed that the general behavior of a steel-concrete composite beam using Perfobond shear connectors was similar to that of a steel-concrete composite beam using conventional shear connectors such as head stud shear connector. The newly puzzle shaped crestbond shear connectors showed satisfactory performance and could be considered for application in composite structures.