Experimental and numerical study on deformation performance of Rubber-Sleeved Stud connector under cyclic load

•Push-out tests of Rubber-Sleeved Stud connector under cyclic load were carried out.•Basic mechanical properties were compared with Ordinary Headed Stud connector.•The deformation performance of Rubber-Sleeved Stud connector was investigated.•Deformation mechanism was revealed through numerical study. The headed stud is one of the most widely used connectors which could build connections between steel and concrete in composite structures. In some cases, the non-uniform slip and the large external load could cause the stud shear force near the interface edge exceeding the design allowable value. Therefore, wrapping studs which located near the interface edge with rubber sleeves was proposed to decrease the shear stiffness and shear force of these studs in serviceability state. In this paper, the deformation performance of the Rubber-Sleeved Stud (RSS) connector under cyclic load was obtained by push-out tests and finite element analysis. Research results show that the ultimate shear capacity of the RSS connector is quite similar to the Ordinary Headed Stud (OHS) connector, while its shear stiffness is reduced to 36.5% of the OHS connector. The peak slip of the RSS connector is close to twice as much as the OHS connector, which indicates wrapped rubber sleeves could effectively enhance the deformation ability of the OHS connector. In the serviceability state under cyclic loading, the RSS connector presents excellent recoverable deformation. Besides, it is able to keep the stiffness degradation degree at a certain level. Finite element (FE) results accord well with test results and further deformation mechanism of RSS connectors under cyclic load is revealed.