Recent research on composite beams

with demountable shear connectors

Item Type Technical paper

Authors Lam, Dennis; Dai, Xianghe; Ashour, Ashraf F.; Rehman, Naveed

Citation Lam D, Dai X, Ashour A et al (2017) Recent research on composite

beams with demountable shear connectors. Steel Construction:
Design and Research. 10(2): 125-134.

Rights © 2017 Ernst & Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische
Wissenschaften GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin. This is the pre-peer
reviewed version of the following article: Lam D, Dai X, Ashour
A et al (2017) Recent research on composite beams with
demountable shear connectors. Steel Construction: Design and
Research. 10(2): 125-134., which has been published in final form
at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/stco.201710016

Download date 07/10/2023 18:22:49

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10454/12114

 The University of Bradford Institutional
Repository
http://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk

This work is made available online in accordance with publisher policies. Please refer to the
repository record for this item and our Policy Document available from the repository home
page for further information.

To see the final version of this work please visit the publisher’s website. Access to the
published online version may require a subscription.

Link to publisher’s version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/stco.201710016

Citation: Lam D, Dai X, Ashour A et al (2017) Recent research on composite beams with
demountable shear connectors. Steel Construction: Design and Research. 10(2): 125-134.

Copyright statement: © 2017 Ernst & Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische
Wissenschaften GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin.

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Lam D, Dai X, Ashour A et al (2017)
Recent research on composite beams with demountable shear connectors. Steel Construction:
Design and Research. 10(2): 125-134., which has been published in final form at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/stco.201710016
Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Dennis Lam (corresponding author)

Xianghe Dai (co-author 1)
Ashraf Ashour (co-author 2)
Naveed Rahman (co-author 3)

Recent Research on Composite Beams

with Demountable Shear Connectors

This paper presents experimental and numerical investigation on an innovative composite floor system with decon-
structability. In this system, a composite slab formed with metal profiled decking is connected to a steel beam using
demountable shear connectors. A series of push tests was conducted to investigate the behaviour of this form of
shear connectors. In addition to the push tests, a full-scale composite beam was tested to failure in the laboratory
under a number of cycles of monotonic loading. For direct comparison, a similar composite beam test was conduct-
ed using same section size, concrete strength, but using the conventional welded headed stud connectors. Test
results showed that the behaviour of the composite beam with demountable shear connectors is comparable with
the specimen with welded shear connectors. After the test was terminated, the demountable shear connectors were
unfastened and the composite floor can be easily lifted off from the steel beam. Test result showed that these de-
mountable shear connectors possess high ductility in comparison with the equivalent welded shear connectors.
Simple design rules currently use in Eurocode 4 for the welded shear connections and Eurocode 3 for bolts are
proposed to predict the shear capacity of this form of demountable shear connectors.

Keywords: Composite Structures; Circular Economy; Ductility Characteristics; Demountable Shear Connectors;
Metal Profiled Decking; Eurocode 4.

1 Introduction
Our cities are growing and the challenge of building social and economic prosperity on a sustainable
basis has not been so critical since World War II. Our global population is projected to reach 9.6 billion
by 2050, with half the population already living in urban areas. Countries all over the world need to be
making a term investment in their building assets, to provide the foundations for the economic and social
prosperity.

The winners for the future will be those who consider the full life-cycle of their assets, with a strategic
plan in place for resilient infrastructure that are designed for the circular economy. We need a new way
of thinking and operating if we are to respond to the multiple challenges represented by our changing
world. It can be hard to think beyond the world we are building and living in now, but it is essential that
we do so, if we are going to create a more sustainable built environment. Embedding circular economy
and whole lifecycle thinking is key to creating a more sustainable built environment by improving the
design and performance throughout the life cycle of products and services. Our ability to embrace and
harness the benefits of emerging technologies such as building information modelling (BIM) and 3D
printing will be important to meet the challenge ahead.

Currently, there is a lack of systems approach to maximize the values of building components and mate-
rials throughout each stage of the building’s life. There is a failure of integrated thinking of the future

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

value of building components and materials among the stakeholders and a lack of manufacturing innova-
tions to allow reuse and repair of building components that create better value of recycled materials, and
an absence of logistics system to enable reuse. Therefore, a system re-design which connects all stages
and players in the value chain from feedstock providers, manufacturers, architects and designers, con-
struction teams, demolition and waste management companies and clients, as well as those who finance
and regulate the sector by organising the building chain in a circular way while fulfilling the growth
ambition is badly needed.

To cater for these needs, a four-way strategy that improves the circularity of the construction sector is
proposed: (1) Smart design: commit to smart design of buildings in order to make them more suitable for
repurposing and for the reuse of materials. (2) Dismantling and separation: efficient dismantling and
separation of waste streams enables high value reuse. (3) High-value recycling: high value recovery and
reuse of materials and components. (4) Marketplace and resource bank: exchanging commodities be-
tween market players. The roadmap and action agenda present a large number of short and long term
actions that can contribute to transforming the construction chain. For new build, smart design of build-
ings is important in the transition of construction circular economy. [1] This has led to research on the
reuse of steel beams in composite construction. Steel-concrete composite beams are the most cost effec-
tive construction system for multi-storey steel frame buildings owing to the composite action between
steel beams and composite slabs. In the current construction practice, composite action is achieved by
shear studs welded through the profiled sheeting to the top flange of the steel beam and embedded in the
concrete slab which make dismantling, alteration and deconstruction of the composite structures almost
impossible when composite structures reach the end of their design life. In the current practice, steel
beams have to go through a recycling process and cannot be re-used. Although steel is 100% recyclable,
however, the recycling process requires a significant amount of energy and produces carbon emission
into the environment.

In this research, a new form of shear connectors, which are demountable, were used as an alternative to
welded connectors in composite beams. The demountable shear connectors allow the steel beam to be
reused at the end of the structural design life, bolted shear connectors have been rarely used in construc-
tion, apart from rehabilitation work. Unlike welded shear connections, the demountable shear connectors
are easy to dismantle, enabling the steel beam to be reused without a recycling process. In addition,
demountable shear connectors can be easily installed on site into the predrilled flange of the steel beam
and steel profiled decking. Due to the lack of information about the behaviour of demountable shear
connector, they have not been widely adopted in construction practice and no design guidance is current-
ly available.

Eurocode 4 [2] provides a simple procedure for push-off test and equations to predict the shear capacity
of shear studs in composite beams. However, the push-off test details provided in Eurocode 4 are for
welded shear connectors in solid concrete slabs. Mottram and Johnson [3] suggested a geometric adjust-
ment to the standard push-off test for welded headed stud connectors in metal decking slabs. Pavlovic et
al. [4] studied the M16 Gr8.8 bolted shear connector through push-off tests in solid slabs and compared
the experimental results with welded headed shear studs in solid slabs. It was found that the Gr8.8 bolted
shear connectors with a single embedded nut achieved about 95% of the shear resistance under static
loads, but the stiffness reduced by 50% as compared with the welded headed stud. However, their re-
search was only focused on solid slabs with high strength bolts. This is quite different from this research
as demountable headed shear connectors are used with cast in-situ metal deck composite slabs. Dai et al.
[5] performed a series of push-off tests using demountable shear connectors with solid slabs and con-
cluded that the demountable shear connector has a slip of up to 20mm before failure and the shear ca-
pacity was about 84% of the welded shear connector at the slip of 6 mm.

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Dallam [6] and Marshall et al. [7] investigated the high strength friction-grip (HSFG) bolts. But their
main purpose was to investigate the pre-tension behaviour of the high friction grip bolts. Dedic and
Klaiber [8] and Kwon et al. [9] investigated the shear capacity and performance of post installed bolted
shear connectors under fatigue loading. The focus of their research was to strengthen the existing non-
composite buildings using high strength friction grip bolts as shear connectors. Pathirana et al. [10] and
Mirza et al. [11] carried out research on demountable studs using blind bolts. It was found that blind
bolts behaved very similar to welded headed studs in terms of stiffness and strength but the blind bolt had
a relatively brittle behaviour. Henderson et al. [12] discussed different types of shear connection under
dynamic loading and reported that the removable shear connectors had very similar stiffness and strength
as welded headed studs in composite beams. Hawkins [13] tested the anchor bolts without embedded
nuts in a solid slab using different lengths and diameters of the bolts. It was found that the shear capacity
of these anchor bolts was about 80% of the welded shear connectors. Ollgaard et al. [14] carried out
extensive studies on welded shear connectors. Oehlers and Bradford [15] discussed different types of
connectors used for composite beams including the bolted and demountable connectors. It was concluded
that the bolts can be attached directly to the flange prior to the casting of concrete; or the concrete slab
and the steel beam can be bolted together after casting by using bolts or friction grip bolts. Allwood and
Moynihan [16] conducted three composite beam tests using M20 Gr 8.8 bolts; it was found that the
Eurocode 4 prediction for the welded shear connector is conservative when compared to their experi-
mental observation.

From the literature review, it is found that previous research on bolted connectors was carried out using
high strength bolts with solid slabs. There is little research carried out using metal deck composite slabs.
The only composite beam tests were carried out using the Gr 8.8 M20 bolts, but no push test was carried
out using demountable shear connectors with metal deck composite slabs. In this research, beam test was
carried out to investigate the slip behaviour and the ultimate moment capacity of composite beam with
demountable shear connectors.

2 Shear Connector Capacity

2.1 Push Tests

To assess the shear capacity, stiffness and ductility of demountable shear connectors, a series of push
tests, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 were carried out at the University of Bradford. In general, the push test
arrangement is very similar to the one described in Eurocode 4. It consisted of two identical concrete
slabs of size 610 × 510 × 150 mm connected through shear connectors with predrilled holes in a steel
section (203 × 203 × 52 UB). The test specimens were divided into 6 groups as shown in Table 1. In each
group, two replicate specimens were tested. These specimens covered different concrete strength, con-
nector diameter and types.

The two composite slabs of each specimen were casted horizontally with the same concrete mixes and
cured in an open-air environment. Ribbed steel bars with a diameter of 10mm were used for the rein-
forcement cage. The strength of the concrete slab was determined by taking the average strength of six
100mm cubes cured in the same condition as the test specimens and tested on the test day.

The clearance between the hole in flange and collar (shank) of the bolt was 1.0 mm and 1.0 mm clear-
ance was also provided for the hole in the metal profiled decking. The nuts were tightened using tools
that are commonly used by steel erectors in steelwork construction. The nominal height of the connectors
in concrete for all the specimens was 120 mm, specimens S1, S2, D1, D2 and M1 to M6 have a shank
diameter of 19 mm embedded in the concrete and a 17 mm diameter collar passing through the steel
beam flange and a threaded portion of 16mm diameter (C1). The specimen M7 has a shank diameter of
22mm with a collar and a threaded portion of a diameter 20mm (C2). For the specimen M8, a pair of

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

M20Gr 8.8 bolts was used (C3).

Fig. 1. Push-off test specimen with modified reinforcement cage

Table 1. Geometric configuration summary of tested specimens

Test Specimen Connector type Concrete Strength Shear connectors

ID (MPa) per slab
S1 C1 57.5 2
Group 1
S2 C1 54.5 2
D1 C1 29.4 2
Group 2
D2 C1 28.5 2
M1 C1 43.4 2
Group 3
M2 C1 40.9 2
M3 C1 36.2 1
Group 4
M4 C1 30.5 1
M5 C1 55.7 2
Group 5
M6 C1 58.1 2
M7 C2 22.7 2
Group 6
M8 C3 19.2 2

Figure 2 shows the test setup of the push test. Eight linear variable displacement transducers (LVDTs)
were installed at the top of the steel beam and concrete slabs, as shown in Figure 2 to measure the verti-
cal displacements, which subsequently used to calculate the relative slip between the steel beam and the
concrete slab.

During the test, the applied load was increased by 5kN interval; at each interval, a further 5 minutes
between loading was allowed for the load to settle before the next load increment was applied. When the
applied load reached 40% of the predicted failure load based on the Eurocode 4 equations, the load-
control method was changed to the displacement-control method, in which a constant increment rate of
0.2mm/min was adopted until the failure of the specimens was observed, i.e. rapid reduction of the load
capacity.

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Fig. 2. Push test set up and test arrangement

2.2 Push Tests Results

Figures 3 and 4 show the two main failure modes observed in these tests. The first mode of failure is
concrete cone failure with concrete crushing and cracks where no connector fracture was observed. In
this type of failure, the concrete around the connector failed in compression before the connector is
yielded. Crushing of concrete started from the vicinity of the connector head and cracks developed
through the depth of the concrete slab forming a cone shape around the shear connectors. The second
mode of failure is the shearing of the connectors where the connectors are usually sheared off at the base
of the slab. Cracks on the outer surfaces of concrete slab were observed in tested specimens. These
cracks were more evident in specimens with low strength concrete than those with higher concrete
strength. The transverse concrete cracks first appeared on the outer surface of the slabs just near the
middle of the slabs, but they did not propagate through the thickness of the slab due to the presence of
the reinforcement cage.

These cracks are visible when the metal profiled decking was removed from the concrete slab after the
test. The concrete damage patterns observed from different specimens are very similar irrespective to the
shear connector arrangement and the concrete strength. However the concrete cone formed in a single
shear connector per trough was less than that in specimens with pair shear connectors per trough.

Figure 4 shows the typical failure mode, which is characterised by the combination of connector frac-
tured, concrete cone and the cracks around the root of the connector due to compressive forces. The
average width of the cone was about 260 mm in the specimens with a pair of 19 mm diameter connect-
ors, which is approximately double the bottom width of the slab trough (110 mm) and about 25% wider
than the width of the steel beam flange. The average width of the cone was about 130mm with a single
shear connector connection, which is half of that of specimens with pair connectors per trough. It was

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

observed that the average cone width was up to 360mm for the specimen with pair connectors of a diam-
eter of 22 mm, which is 100 mm larger than that of specimens with connector diameters of 19 mm. This
is possibly due to the increases in the shear resistance and the higher compressive forces applied to the
concrete around the demountable shear connectors.

Fig. 3. Concrete cone failure observed from test specimen M7

Fig. 4 Fracture of the shear connectors

In specimen M2, although the shear connector deformed significantly, it did not fail before the concrete
failure occurred. The concrete cracks propagated longitudinally across the concrete slab and causing rib
shear failure to the concrete slab as shown in Figure 5. The deformation of the hole in the profiled metal
decking was also observed during the test. The tearing of the metal decking around the hole was more
prominent in specimens with a single shear connector compared to the paired connector specimen as
shown in Figure 6.

The second mode of failure is that the shear connector fractured at the collar. For this mode of failure, the
connector fully yielded and fractured at the collar of the shear connector. The connector reached its
maximum yield stress while the concrete slab did not reach its maximum stress. In the paired connector
specimens M1, M5 and M6; the connectors sheared off as expected due to the high concrete strength. A
similar connector failure was also observed in single shear connector specimens M3 and M4. Typically
fracture occurred at the collar position close to the slab. The deformation of the shear connectors ob-
served in specimens M5 and M6 with a high concrete strength slab was much smaller than that of speci-
men M2 with a low concrete strength slab.

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Fig 5. Rib shear failure to the concrete slab

Fig. 6. Elongation of holes in the metal deck

Table 3 summarises the maximum shear capacity per connector, amount of slip at maximum load and at
failure; and the mode of failure observed in the push tests. The load - slip curves of all push test speci-
mens are presented in Figure 7. These load-slip curves have a clear elastic and plastic portion. In the
elastic region, the load-slip curves show an almost linear relationship for all specimens.

Table 3. Summary of maximum shear resistance and failure mode

Concrete cube Max Shear Slip value

Test Specimen strength capacity Slip at Maximum
at failure Mode of Failure
ID load (mm)
(MPa) (kN/stud) (mm)
S1 57.5 60.0 5.5 10.0 Premature failure
S2 54.5 44.5 6.4 9.2 Premature failure
D1 29.4 61.5 5.2 7.8 Cone failure
D2 28.5 42.2 4.3 6.5 Cone failure
M1 43.4 69.9 9.2 21.2 Stud fracture
M2 40.9 68.2 7.2 18.7 Cone failure
M3 36.2 80.0 16 17.9 Stud fracture
M4 30.5 79.6 26 28.2 Stud fracture
M5 55.7 76.1 6.8 10.6 Stud fracture
M6 58.1 82.6 7.0 9.5 Stud fracture
M7 22.7 66.3 4.1 6.0 Cone failure
M8 19.2 63.5 5.8 6.6 Cone failure

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Fig. 7. Load-slip curves of push-off test specimens

2.3 Proposed Design Rules for the Demountable Shear Connector

Currently there is no specific assessment method available for demountable shear connectors. The meth-
ods available for headed shear connectors in Eurocode 4 and bolts in the Eurocode 3 [17] are summarised
in Table 4 and are used to predict the shear capacity of demountable shear connections. The use of these
equations is illustrated in Figure 8 according to different failure modes as shown in Figures 3 to 6.

Table 4: Proposed equations for demountable shear connector

Eurocodes Expression

(1)

EN1994-1--1 (2)

for nr =1 and 0.7 for nr =2 (3)

EN1993-1-8 (4)

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Fig. 8. Application of EC4 and EC3 on different failure modes

Table 5 summaries the comparison of the experimental results and predictions using the method provided
in Eurocodes 4 and 3. It can be seen that Eurocodes slightly underestimated the shear resistance of de-
mountable shear connectors regardless to the modes of failure in specimens. Currently, with no code
providing any design guidance for this form of demountable shear connectors, a combination of Euro-
code 3 and 4 equations recommended by the authors provide a reasonable accuracy in predicting the
shear resistance of this form of demountable shear connectors.

Table 5. Comparison of test results with different code's predictions

Experiment Combined EC4 and EC3 PRd (kN/Stud)

PTest (kN/Stud)
Max. Load Failure Prd,C Prd,S Fv,Rd PRd PRd/PTest
S1 60 Slab 94.9 90.8 68.1 68.1 1.13
S2 44.5 Slab 91.8 90.8 68.1 68.1 1.50
D1 61.5 Concrete 62.6 90.8 68.1 62.6 1.01
D2 42.2 Concrete 54.6 90.8 68.1 54.6 1.29
M1 69.9 Stud 79.6 90.8 68.1 68.1 0.97
M2 68.2 Stud 76.8 90.8 68.1 68.1 0.99
M3 80 Stud 77.8 90.8 68.1 68.1 0.85
M4 79.6 Stud 86.4 90.8 68.1 68.1 0.85
M5 76.1 Stud 93.0 90.8 68.1 68.1 0.89
M6 82.6 Stud 95.6 90.8 68.1 68.1 0.82
M7 66.3 Concrete 59.3 150.8 113.1 59.3 0.89
M8 63.5 Concrete 53.6 209.5 117.6 53.6 0.85
Ave. 0.97
COV 0.19

3 Beam Test
3.1 Test Set Up

A full-scale composite beam with demountable shear connectors along with an identical composite beam
with welded shear connectors were constructed and tested. IPE-300 beam and Arcelor Cofraplus60 metal
profiled deck were used for the test specimens. For the demountable composite beam, holes of 18mm
diameter were predrilled at the metal profiled decking and at the top flange of the steel beam. The details
of the test specimens are given in Table 6 below. The beam was cast un-propped with profiled decking
laid perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the steel beam. The demountable shear connectors were
fastened using traditional construction tools used by steel erectors on site. After the shear connectors
were fixed, torque wrench was used to measure the torque achieved by these tools. A torque of 60 Nm
was recorded.

A single shear connector per trough was used for the composite beam as it is designed for partial shear

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

connection. 19mm diameter × 100mm height demountable shear connectors with 17mm collar diameter
were used for the test. The connectors were placed stagger along the steel beam as shown in Figure 9. All
test specimens were cast un-propped, after reaching the required concrete strength, a four point loading
system was used to apply loads on the simply supported composite beam as shown in Figures 10 and 11.
The vertical downward load was applied using the 1000kN hydraulic jack and distributed equally using a
spreader beam. Eleven linear variable displacement transducers (LVDTs) were used to measure end slip
(Figure 12), vertical deflection and relative slippage between steel beam and the concrete slab at various
connector positions (Figure 13).

Table 6: Details of the test specimen

Span of steel beam 5600 mm

Steel section (S355) IPE 300
Steel strength 420 N/mm2
Concrete compressive strength 37 MPa
Length of composite concrete floor 5400 mm
Width of composite concrete floor 1340 mm
Thickness of composite concrete floor 130 mm
Height of metal decking 58 mm
Position of reinforcement mesh Top of steel decking
Number of connectors 26
Connector spacing 227 mm
Reinforcement A142 mesh

Fig. 9. Set up before casting of the composite beam

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

1900 1400 1900

5200

Fig. 10. Loading arrangement

Fig. 11. Test set up

Fig. 12. LVDT for the end slip

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Fig. 13. LVDTs at the 2nd and 4th shear connector’s position

Strain gauges were used to measure the strain in the steel beam and the strain on the top surface of the
concrete slab at the mid-span of the beam. The strain measurements are used to determine the position of
the neutral axis of composite beam. The specimen was subjected to a sequence of loading cycles, starting
with an applied load of 5 kN/m2 (excluding the weight of the specimen and spreader beams) and subse-
quent cycles of 7.5 kN/m2, 15 kN/m2 and finally loaded to failure.

3.2 Beam Test Results

Table 7 presents the test results of composite beam with demountable shear connectors (CB-DSC) and
composite beam with the traditional welded shear connectors (CB-WSC). Figure 14 shows that load
deflection curves of composite beam with demountable shear connectors and the equivalent composite
beam with the traditional through deck welded shear connectors respectively. Initially, the beam was
loaded up to 5 kN/m2 (working load) and this was cycled for three times to observe any initial slip and
deflection. Then the load was increased to 7.0 kN/m2 and 15 kN/m2 respectively. Then, the load was
increased by an increment of 1kN/m2 until 70% of the predicted failure load was reached. After that, the
load was increased by displacement until failure was reached.

From Figure 14, it can be seen that at ultimate load, the mid-span deflection for the composite beam with
demountable shear connectors reached 80 mm (more than span / 70), this showed that the beam exhibited
excellent ductility. The test was terminated at this point as steel was fully yielded while the load deflec-
tion behaviour remains stable. There were some concrete cracks on the top surface in the longitudinal
direction along the steel beam. No major cracking was observed on the side of the concrete slab. No deck
separation, shear connector failure or concrete pull out were observed during the test. In addition to this,
there was little evidence that uplift of composite slab occurred throughout the test.

Figure 14 shows the comparison of welded and demountable specimen. The demountable composite
floor system showed almost similar capacity but slightly lower initial stiffness. However, the overall
stiffness was higher than the beam with welded connectors. The composite beam with demountable shear
connectors has demonstrated significantly higher ductility. There was an initial deflection due to the
clearance holes in demountable specimen, which was not observed in the welded specimen.

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

Table 7. Test results of composite beams

Max. moment Deflection

Concrete Strength Max. load at
Test Specimen ID capacity at max. load
(MPa) failure (kN)
(kNm) (mm)

CB-DSC 37 340.6 323.6 79.9

CB-WSC 36 333.1 316.5 59.1

350

300

250
Moment (kNm)

200

150

100
CB-WSC
50 CB-DSC

0
0 20 40 60 80 100

Mid-span Deflection (mm)

Fig. 14. Moment vs. mid-span deflection

The maximum mid-span deflection and residual defection against applied floor load obtained from the
test is presented in the Table 8. The residual deflection of 0.6mm was observed at the first cycle of load-
ing. This was due to the hole clearance in steel flange. But no further residual deflection was seen as this
loading cycle was repeated for three more time. The moment vs. deflection curve (Figure 14) is linear up
to the 70% of ultimate loading. This shows a stable linear behaviour in the elastic region.

The load vs. end slips is presented in Figure 15. The end slips at both ends show that there is a modest
asymmetry in the behaviour of shear connectors, more than 6 mm of slip were recorded at both ends.
This fulfils the EC4 requirement for ductility. At the first loading, an initial average slip of 0.09mm was
observed due the clearance between the connector and predrilled holes in the steel flange. But this initial
slip did not increase after repeating the same loading cycle for three times.

Table 8. Deflection at mid span

1.0 x working 1.5 x working 3.0 x working Maximum load at

Load cycles
load load load failure

5.0 kN/m2 7.5 kN/m2 15.0 kN/m2 47.0 kN/m2

Deflection at each loading cycle (mm) 2.8 1.9 4.1 71.1
Residual deflection (mm) 0.6 0.7 1.0 43.3
Cumulative residual deflection (mm) 0 0.6 1.3 2.3
Cumulative deflection (mm) 2.8 5.3 10.1 82.2

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

400

350

300

250
Load (kN)

200

150

100

End Slip_L
50
End Slip_R

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Slip (mm)

Fig. 15. Load-slip curves of the composite beam with demountable shear connectors

After the test, the demountable composite floor system was evaluated for the purpose of demountability
and to determine whether the structural parts of the demountable composite floor system can be reused at
the end of the design life. All the demountable shear connectors were undone after the test was terminat-
ed, even those some permanent deformation was observed in the beam, the composite concrete slab
could still be easily lifted off from the steel beam without any problem at the end of the test. This will
allow the steel beam to be reused after the structural design life without going into recycling process.
Figure 16 shows the demountability of this form of composite beam.

Fig. 16. Demountability of the composite beam

4 Conclusions
A demountable shear connector in the form of headed stud shear connectors is developed. A series of the
push off tests of demountable stud with profiled decking have been carried out to assess its shear capaci-
ty. Test results shown that these shear connectors can be easily demounted after test and have a similar
shear capacity when comparing with the welded headed studs. Current research shows that Eurocode 4
and 3 equations could be safely used to evaluate this form of demountable shear connectors. Beam test

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

with demountable shear connectors was carried out and compared with the beam test with welded shear
connectors, results showed that the beam with demountable shear connectors has similar stiffness and
superior ductility. After the test, the shear connectors can be unbolted and the beam and slab can be
removed for reuse. A demountable system has two additional advantages over traditional connectors: no
welding and increased flexibility. Welding studs alters their material properties, whereas bolts’ material
properties are unaffected by installation. In addition, welding is susceptible to fatigue under cyclic or
seismic loading, so bolts may be preferred in these circumstances. In addition, site welding involves extra
health & safety risks that bolting could also be avoided.

References

[1] Ellen MacArthur Foundation ‘Delivering the circular economy - a toolkit for policymakers’,
http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/blog/new-tools-for-policymakers-facilitate-transition-to-the-
circular-economy, 2015.

[2] EN 1994-1-1: Eurocode 4- Design of composite steel and concrete structures. Part 1-1: General
rules and rules for buildings. Brussels, Belgium: European Committee for Standardization (CEN); 2004.

[3] Mottram J, Johnson RP. Push tests on studs welded through profiled steel sheeting. Journal of
Structural Engineering 1990;68(10):187-93.

[4] Pavlović M, Marković Z, Veljković M, Buđevac D. Bolted shear connectors vs. headed studs
behaviour in push-out tests," Journal of Constructional Steel Research 2013;88: 134-49.

[5] Dai, X.H., Lam, D and Saveri, E., ‘Effect of Concrete Strength and Stud Collar Size to Shear
Capacity of Demountable Shear Connectors’, Journal of Structural Engineering, American Society of
Civil Engineers, 2015; 141(11), 04015025.

[6] Dallam LN. High Strength Bolt Shear Connectors - Pushout Tests. ACI Journal 1968;
65(9):767-9.

[7] Marshall WT, Nelson HM, Banerjee HK. An experimental study of the use of high strength
friction grip bolts as shear connectors in composite beams. Structural Engineering 1971; 49(4): 171-8.

[8] Dedic DJ, Klaiber WF. High Strength Bolts as Shear Connectors In rehabilitation Work. Con-
crete International 1984; 6(7):41-6.

[9] Kwon G, Engelhardt MD, Klingner RE. Behaviour of post-installed sear connectors undr static
and fatigue loading. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 2010:66(4):532-41.

[10] Pathirana S, Mirza O, Zhu X, Uy B. Experimental study on the behaviour of composite steel
concrete beams using blind bolts. 10th International Conference on Advances in Steel Concrete Compo-
site and Hybrid Structures, Singapore, 2012, 775-782.

[11] Mirza O, Uy B, Patel N. Behavior and strength of Shear Connectors Utilising Blind Bolting, in
Steel and Composite Structures. 4th International Conference on Steel & Composite Structures, Sydney,
Australia, 2010, 791-796.

[12] Henderson I, Mirza O, Zhu X, Uy B. Dynamic assessment of composite structures with differ-
ent shear connection system, 10th International Conference on Advances in Steel Concrete Composite
and Hybrid Structures, Singapore, 2012, 1163-1170.

[13] Hawkins N. Strength in shear and tension of cast in place anchor bolts. Anchorage Concrete,
1987; SP-103:233-55.

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15

Steel Construction – Design and Research Manuscript Template

[14] Ollgaard JG, Slutter RG, Fisher JW. Shear strength of stud connectors in lightweight and nor-
mal concrete. AISC Engineering Journal 1971; 8:55-64.

[15] Oehlers D, Bradford M. Steel and Concrete composite structural members: fundamental behav-
iour. 1995 Oxford, UK: Pergamon, 978-0080419190.

[16] Allwood J, Moynihan MC. Viability and performance of demountable composite connectors,"
Journal of Constructional Steel Research 2014; 99: 47-56.

[17] EN1993-1-8: Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures. Part 1-8: Design of joints. Brussels Bel-
gium: European Committee for standardization (CEN); 2005.

Authors

Prof Dennis Lam

School of Engineering
University of Bradford
Bradford, UK. BD71DP
[email protected]

Dr Xianghe Dai
School of Engineering
University of Bradford
Bradford, UK. BD71DP
[email protected]

Prof Ashraf Ashour

School of Engineering
University of Bradford
Bradford, UK. BD71DP
[email protected]

Mr Naveed Rehman
School of Engineering
University of Bradford
Bradford, UK. BD71DP
[email protected]

Last update 13.01.2017 4:15