Numerical analysis of composite trusses

Abstract The topic of the paper is the numerical investigation of steel‐concrete composite trusses with the aim of analyzing the behavior of the shear connection at the steel‐concrete interface. In case of composite trusses, due to the tension‐compression forces acting in the web members, the shear connections are subjected to combined shear‐tension or shear‐compression. The focus of the paper is to find a novel shear connection capable of carrying the combined forces with the final aim to provide a structural solution for a composite truss applicable in a composite floor system. Since headed studs are not supposed to be applied if the forces acting on the connector have significant tensile components, and diagonal members of the truss produce highly concentrated forces of this kind, novel shear connections of perfobond plates about the global design are investigated. This structural configuration offers a simple and effective solution for covering long‐span indoor spaces. Two types of perfobond plates are studied: flat perfobond and Y‐shaped perfobond plates. The structural behavior of the novel shear connection is verified by experimental results. The paper concludes the results and provides recommendations regarding the application perfobond plates for composite trusses.