Shear resistance characteristic and ductility of Y-type perfobond rib shear connector

This study evaluates behavior of the Y-type perfobond rib shear connector proposed by Kim et al. (2013). In addition, an empirical shear resistance formula is developed based on push-out tests. Various types of the proposed Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors are examined to evaluate the effects of design variables such as concrete strength, number of transverse rebars, and thickness of rib. It is verified that higher concrete strength increases shear resistance but decreases ductility. Placing transverse rebars significantly increases both the shear resistance and ductility. As the thickness of the ribs increases, the shear resistance increases but the ductility decreases. The experimental results indicate that a Y-type perfobond rib shear connector has higher shear resistance and ductility than the conventional stud shear connector. The effects of the end bearing resistance, resistance by transverse rebars, concrete dowel resistance by holes, and concrete dowel resistance by Y-shape ribs on the shear resistance are estimated empirically based on the push-out test results and the additional push-out test results by Kim et al. (2013). An empirical shear resistance formula is suggested to estimate the shear resistance of a Y-type perfobond shear connector for design purposes. The newly developed shear resistance formula is in reasonable agreement with the experimental results because the average ratio of measured shear resistance to estimated shear resistance is 1.024.