Study of the behavior and resistance of the “U” shear connector consisting of cold formed profile

The use of composite beams leads to economical solutions for use in building and bridge structures, for example, due to the combined action between the steel beam and the concrete slab, providing greater stiffness and flexural resistance than when considering the work isolated from materials. However, as they are two materials with different behaviors, mechanical devices are needed that are capable of ensuring that their elements work together. Such devices are called shear connectors, whose function is to resist the horizontal forces that develop at the steel-concrete interface, avoiding the physical separation of these components and ensuring their joint action. The U shear connector made up of a cold-formed profile is a low-cost alternative connector, however, more studies to understand its mechanical behavior need to be developed. The analysis of the mechanical behavior of a shear connector is carried out by carrying out the push-out test, standardized by Eurocode-4 (2004). Another possibility is the use of numerical modeling. Numerous researchers have used numerical modeling to study the behavior of shear connectors and obtained satisfactory results. The numerical model, which must be calibrated and validated by the experimental model, presents as its main advantage the possibility of carrying out a parametric variation for the analysis of the connector without the need to spend time and materials, that is, numerous parameters can be varied in the test, such as thickness of the connector profile or its properties, among other test parameters, only with the computational cost involved, which proves to be advantageous when compared with the experimental cost related to the push-out test. In this sense, this work aims to numerically simulate the mechanical behavior of U-shaped shear connectors consisting of a cold-formed profile. The developed numerical model will be calibrated and validated, and applied for a parametric analysis to evaluate the connector resistance, where the thickness and length of the connector, in addition to the concrete resistance, will be the main parameters studied.