Influence of transverse loading onto push-out tests with deep steel decking

•Push tests on shear connectors have quantified the effect of concentric and eccentric transverse loads.•Tests on 80 mm deep deck profiles have been performed with single and pairs of shear connectors.•A rational model predicts the modes of failure of the shear connectors.•Results for shear resistances are compared with Eurocode 4 and other methods.•A new push-test method to determine shear connector resistances is proposed.

This paper presents the results of 20 push-out tests on shear stud connectors, placed centrally in the ribs of 58 mm and 80 mm deep steel decking. The tests were designed to investigate the realistic load-slip behaviour of the shear connectors and the influence of transverse loading. The tests considered two different stud diameters and the effect of concentric and eccentric transverse loading. In addition, the influence of a second layer of reinforcement, the welding procedure and the number of shear connectors in each rib have been considered. The observed influence of these parameters on the load-slip behaviour is presented and explained with regard to material properties and load-bearing models. In addition, the test results are compared with the current analytical approaches, which are shown to be non-conservative in some cases, because the presented deck shapes were not well considered in the development and calibration of EN 1994-1-1.

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