BEHAVIOUR OF A NEW TYPE OF COMPOSITE CONNECTION

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on a special type of composite connection of a thin-walled beam to concrete deck. It is applied in a light-gauge floor system that is built by thin-walled C-sections, trapezoidal sheeting as a formwork and an upper concrete deck. The self-drilling screw fastener between the sheets and the top flanges of the C-profile creates the composite connection between the steel beam and the concrete deck. In the present study this new type of shear connector is investigated by experiments. The behaviour of the shear connectors are tested by standard push-out tests, considering several parameters: the fastening mode, the type and the geometry of screw; the arrangement of trapezoidal sheeting, the geometry of steel components and the effect of the reinforcement. In the test programme the failure modes are observed and classified, according to the specialities of the behaviour of thin-walled structures. From the measured data, the load-displacement relationships are determined and the design values of the stiffness, resistance and ductility are calculated