Shear Connector Requirements for Embedded Steel Sections

The paper evaluates bond stress and shear connector requirements in encased steel structures, which are sometimes known as steel reinforced concrete (SRC). Bond stress is important to the behavior of SRC elements, and shear connectors are required if the bond stress demand exceeds that capacity. Past research on bond stress is summarized and analyzed. An experimental study is described and evaluated. The results show that the size of the encased section and the length of the bond affect the bond capacity. Confining reinforcement has little impact upon the bond stress capacity, but increased confinement increases the post slip resistance. The bond stress is distributed exponentially under service load but more uniformly after initial slip. Cyclic loading results in deterioration of bond stress for loads greater than the slip initiation load. Shear connectors combined with natural bond stress may produce smaller load transfer than bond stress acting alone, and loads should be transferred entirely either by bond or by mechanical methods. Design recommendations for bond stress and shear connectors are developed for serviceability and ultimate load limit states.