Finite Element Analyses of Demountable Shear Connection in Cold‐Formed Steel‐Concrete Composite Beam Based on Experimental Data

There is a surging demand for innovations that would increase the value of construction elements and materials in their life cycle. Therefore, the subject of this research is the shear connection in the floor composite system of cold‐formed steel and concrete slab. Composite systems can be further improved by a demountable type of shear connection, which shows good performance compared to traditional solutions but also allow for system demountability, fulfilling some sustainability policy aspects. Here, two configurations of CFS‐concrete composite systems with bolted shear connections were considered. The first configuration considers two directly connected back‐to‐back CFS profiles, while the second considers two back‐to‐back CFS profiles spaced apart simulating the presence of a corrugated web in between. Based on the experimental results of the second configuration, the numerical model in ABAQUS was developed and calibrated. A detailed comparison of the two configurations has been carried out. Additionally, the behaviour of considered configurations was also analysed regarding the number of bolts within the rib of the concrete slab. The obtained results show that close spacing of the shear connectors can prevent the development of their full bearing capacity.