Behaviour of steel–precast composite girders with through-bolt shear connectors under static loading

• Push test results for through-bolt shear connectors are reported.
• A mechanistic model capable of predicting the ultimate connector capacity is presented.
• A finite element analysis is presented of a full-scale girder employing through-bolt connectors.
• The effect of varying the bolt spacing on the full-scale girder is studied analytically.

Accelerated bridge construction methods are being increasingly used to construct new bridges and replace existing ones. For the accelerated construction of steel–precast concrete composite bridges, a suitable shear connection detail is needed to develop composite action between the steel girders and the precast concrete deck panels. In this paper, a recent study is presented on the use of through-bolts to make this shear connection. Specifically, an experimental study is summarized, wherein static push tests have been performed on through-bolt connections with several parameters investigated including the bolt diameter, bolt pretension, and steel–concrete contact surface properties. While ultimate shear loads are achieved with through-bolts similar to those seen for conventional shear studs, the initial slip load is generally seen to be much lower than the ultimate load. A mechanistic model, capable of predicting the through-bolt connector ultimate capacity, is proposed and shown to give reliable predictions of the test results. Lastly, a finite element (FE) analysis study is presented, wherein the load–slip behaviour obtained from the push tests is incorporated in a model of a full-scale bridge girder and the effect of varying the bolt diameter and spacing on the girder behaviour is investigated.