ABSTRACT
Shear connectors are used in composite structures to enable the combined action of the concrete slab and the steel profile. The Perfobond shear connector, main focus of this paper, was developed by Leonhardt to improve the fatigue strength of a Venezuelan composite bridge. The Perfobond shear connector is made from a rectangular steel plate, with holes, welded to the steel beam top flange. Subsequently the perfobond holes are filled with concrete forming dowels that improve the connector shear strength and inhibits the vertical split at the concrete/steel interface.
