Crestbond shear connectors for load transfer in concrete filled tube columns

This paper presents an experimental study with numerical modeling of Crestbond shear connectors in concrete filled tube columns. The Crestbond, which consists in a steel plate with regular cuttings, was originally conceived for composite beams and is now being proposed as an alternative device for load introduction and shear transfer at the steel-concrete interface in concrete filled tube columns. The results achieved in this work were very favorable to the new application proposed for the connector as high values of shear strength were obtained. Moreover, the numerical and experimental results enabled comparative analysis and investigations regarding the influence of concrete conditions and the geometry of the column section on the mechanical properties of the connector.