Static and Fatigue Behavior of Rubber-Sleeved Stud Shear Connectors as Part of Field-Cast Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections

Field-cast ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) connections are an innovative and prospective solution for combining full-depth precast concrete decks and steel girders. However, previous studies show that the slip capacity of stud shear connectors embedded in UHPC cannot meet the requirements for ductile connectors by Eurocode 4, which can reduce the resistance of steel and concrete composite members. In this study, the rubber-sleeved stud shear connector, which is a composite of ordinary stud and rubber sleeve, was adopted for the field-cast UHPC connections. Push-out tests were conducted to investigate the static and fatigue behavior of the rubber-sleeved stud shear connector as part of field-cast UHPC connections. Results of static tests showed that the rubber-sleeved stud shear connector has sufficient deformation capacity and its slip capacity is 1.5 times that of the ordinary stud shear connector. Compared to ordinary stud shear connectors, UHPC with high strength and stiffness has a relatively small effect on improving the shear strength and stiffness of rubber-sleeve stud shear connectors. Results of fatigue tests showed that the rubber-sleeved stud shear connector in UHPC has similar fatigue behavior to that in normal strength concrete. Though UHPC improves the restraint to the stud deformation, the influence of rubber sleeves is still decisive in determining the fatigue behavior of rubber-sleeve stud shear connectors. In addition, based on the results of strain gauges at stud roots, it was found that the crack initiation process consumes a small proportion of the fatigue life of rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors, which is about 5%.