Design of shear connection in composite steel and concrete bridges with precast decks

For the design of the shear connection in steel–concrete composite bridges with precast decks, design considerations were discussed, and experimental works on the push tests and the bridge model test were performed. The characteristics of the shear connection in a precast deck system are the filling material in shear pockets and the bedding layer between the precast deck and the steel girder. Also, it is necessary to evaluate the structural behavior of the shear connection in case of uniformly distributed shear connectors through experiments. Based on the push tests, the behavior of the shear connection in a precast deck was discussed. In addition, the ultimate strength and the fatigue endurance of the shear connection were estimated. As the thickness of the bedding layer increases, the ultimate strength decreases. The shear load redistribution between shear connectors was verified through the experiment on the bridge model, and shear connectors can therefore be distributed uniformly along the span. Using the experimental results and the finite element analysis based on the partial interaction theory, the shear stiffness of the shear connection and the flexural stiffness of the bridge were evaluated.