Resistance of a new type of flat shear connectors dedicated to composite columns. (LAC21.A1)

The current practice to assure composite action foresees the usage of headed
studs. This type of mechanical shear connectors was developed for composite beams and only
adopted for the column’s usage. Application in composite columns could lead to a reduced
economy, especially for heavy composite columns used in high-rise buildings. A new type of
flat shear connectors was developed and characterized that allows for fully automatic application
process. This secures an increased safety of the whole structure, improved performance, optimized
cross-section, reduced manufacturing time and costs. The presented paper gives a short
description about the development process and focuses on the proposed analytical model describing the resistance of flat shear connectors. The developed analytical model comprises the
complex stress state, which is present in the highly confined concrete directly under the connectors. The assumptions and theoretical models were confirmed in complex non-linear FE
simulations performed in the Abaqus software.