Experimental assessment of Perfobond and T-Perfobond shear connectors’ structural response

This paper presents an evaluation of the structural behaviour of Perfobond and T-Perfobond connectors, suitable to transfer shear in composite structures. The results of an experimental programme performed at the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Coimbra, Portugal, are presented and discussed. The experimental programme consisted of twelve push-out tests configured according to the Eurocode 4 [EUROCODE 4. EN 1994. Design of composite steel and concrete structures Part 1.1 General rules and rules for buildings. Brussels: CEN European Committee for Standardisation; 2005]. The connection resistance, ductility and collapse modes are presented and discussed, namely by comparison to results from available analytical models. It was shown that the evaluated types of connectors may provide an economical and efficient solution to transfer shear in composite structures.