Fatigue life prediction of rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors under shear load based on finite element simulation: Fid-Bau Portal

Fatigue life prediction of rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors under shear load based on finite element simulation

Xu, Xiaoqing / Zhou, Xuhong / Liu, Yuqing

Highlights • A finite element-based approach was provided to predict the fatigue life of rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors. • The effect of the properties of rubber sleeves and concrete on the fatigue life of rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors was investigated. • Fatigue life prediction formulas for ordinary stud and rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors were proposed.

Abstract Rubber-sleeved studs, which are headed studs wrapped with rubber sleeves, have been found to be prospective to overcome some challenges in the design of steel–concrete composite structures with ordinary stud shear connectors. A finite element-based approach was provided for the fatigue life prediction of rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors. After calculating the stress and strain state of the connector by finite element models, the fatigue crack initiation life was predicted based on the critical surface method, and fracture mechanics was adopted to predict crack propagation life. The prediction method was validated by fatigue push-out test results. The subsequent finite element parametric study revealed the effect of shear stress range, rubber sleeve height, and elastic moduli of rubber and concrete on the fatigue life of shear connectors. Further, fatigue life prediction formulas for ordinary stud and rubber-sleeved stud shear connectors were proposed for facilitating the engineering application. The reliability of these formulas was verified by comparing with S-N curves in the design codes and those obtained from fatigue push-out tests.