Study of the behavior and resistance of right-angle truss shear connector for composite steel concrete beams

The Right-Angle Truss connector is a newly developed shear connector that features efficient structural behavior and low manufacturing and installation cost. However, for the application of this connector in composite steel-concrete beams, studies that evaluate its behavior in greater detail need to be developed. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the shear resistance of the Right-Angle Truss connector with the variation of parameters inherent to the connection of composite steel-concrete beams. For this, a non-linear finite element model, capable of simulating push-out tests with a Right-Angle Truss connector was developed. The numerical model was validated with experimental results. From a parametric study, the influence of the diameter of the bar that constitutes the connector and the strength of the concrete on the shear resistance of the Right-Angle Truss connector was evaluated. The application orientation of this connector which provides the greatest shear resistance was also studied. An equation to prescribe the shear resistance of the Right-Angle Truss connector was proposed.