Effect of Shear Connector Height on the Shear Performance of Y-shaped Connectors in Steel–Concrete Composite Beams

Subject Areas : Structural Engineering in Energy-Efficient Buildings

maede davami ¹ , alireza mirza goltabar roshan ² , Hamidreza Tavakoli ³

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Received: 2025-11-01 Accepted : 2025-11-13 Published : 2025-11-22

Keywords: Y-shaped shear connector, connector height, composite beam, finite element analysis, shear strength, ductility, ABAQUS simulation,

Abstract :

This paper investigates the influence of connector height on the shear behavior of Y-shaped shear connectors in steel–concrete composite beams. A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element (FE) model was developed using ABAQUS 6.14 to simulate push-out tests. The model incorporated nonlinear constitutive behavior of concrete and steel, surface-to-surface contact interaction, and displacement-controlled loading. Connector heights of 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 mm were analyzed, while width (30 mm), rebar diameter (12 mm), and concrete strength (30 MPa) were kept constant. The model was validated against experimental results by Kim et al., demonstrating excellent agreement in terms of load–slip response and ultimate shear strength. The results revealed that increasing connector height enhances shear capacity and stiffness up to approximately 50 mm. Beyond this limit, the improvement becomes marginal, and ductility decreases due to concrete cracking at the connector base. Stress contour analysis confirmed that excessive height promotes localized tensile stresses and brittle failure near the interface. The study concludes that an optimal connector height of 50–55 mm provides the best compromise between strength, stiffness, and ductility. The findings contribute to the improved design of composite beams under monotonic shear loading.

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