Numerical modelling and analysis of dowel shear connector for composite slim-floor beams

Steel concrete composite structures are extensively adopted in construction practices owing to their attractive merits in structural behaviour, material employment and economic consideration etc. Steel concrete composite slim-floor beam system is an innovative, economical evolution from conventional composite system, it is used for multi-story high-rise buildings to increase storey effective net height. This paper presents a numerical simulation and analysis on the shear resistance of concrete dowel shear connector with reinforcing rebar for composite slim-floor beams. A finite element model was developed and validated against experimental results available from reference and good agreement achieved. A parametric study, covering important component parameters including concrete strength, diameter of concrete dowel and diameter of reinforcing rebar, was conducted to investigate the effect of these connector components on the structural behaviour of dowel shear connectors. The numerical simulation and analysis further highlighted the influence of connector components on the shear resistance and slip behavior of this type of shear connection adopted for composite slim-floor beams. Finally, a simple prediction method is proposed to calculate the shear resistance of dowel shear connector with reinforcing rebar. The simple prediction method may be used for design reference.