ABSTRACT
The current practice to assure composite action foresees the usage of headed studs. This type of mechanical shear connectors was developed for composite beams and only adopted for the column’s usage. Application in composite columns could lead to a reduced economy, especially for heavy composite columns used in high-rise buildings. A new type of flat shear connectors was developed and characterized that allows for fully automatic application process. This secures an increased safety of the whole structure, improved performance, optimized cross-section, reduced manufacturing time and costs. The presented paper gives a short description about the development process and focuses on the proposed analytical model describing the resistance of flat shear connectors. The developed analytical model comprises the complex stress state, which is present in the highly confined concrete directly under the connectors. The assumptions and theoretical models were confirmed in complex non-linear FE simulations performed in the Abaqus software.
