Study on the interface shear performance of corrugated steel-UHPC composite bridge decks with stud shear connectors

Firstly, a parametric study based on nonlinear finite element analysis of corrugated steel-ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) composite bridge decks with stud shear connectors shows that the shear capacity increases with both the number and diameter of studs, while being relatively unaffected by the height of studs. In addition, the shear capacity can be enhanced by substituting corrugated steel plates for plain steel plates and UHPC for ordinary concrete. Then, the calculation formula of the load-displacement curve of studs in UHPC is deduced by the elastic foundation beam method and the curve exhibits a general agreement between theoretical result and FEA result. However, for the displacement corresponding to ultimate load, the discrepancy between the two methods increases as the height-to-diameter ratio of studs rise. Finally, the comparative analysis of the shear capacity calculated by current formulas and that by finite element method shows that the design formulas provided in AASHTO LRFD, Eurocode 4, Chinese standard-JTG/T D64-01-2015 are conservative for calculating the shear capacity of stud shear connectors in UHPC. In theoretical calculation, it is recommended to take into account the bearing contribution of the weld collar and the influence of the stud's height-to-diameter ratio and deformation degree on its shear capacity.