Distribution of shear force in perforated shear connectors

A perforated shear connector group is commonly used to transfer shear in steel-concrete composite structures when the traditional shear stud connection is not strong enough. The multi-hole perforated shear connector demonstrates a more complicated behavior than the single connector. The internal force distribution in a specific multi-hole perforated shear connector group has not been thoroughly studied. This study focuses on the load-carrying capacity and shear force distribution of multi-hole perforated shear connectors in steel-concrete composite structures. ANSYS is used to develop a three-dimensional finite element model to simulate the behavior of multi-hole perforated connectors. Material and geometric nonlinearities are considered in the model to identify the failure modes, ultimate strength, and load-slip behavior of the connection. A three-layer model is introduced and a closed-form solution for the shear force distribution is developed to facilitate design calculations. The shear force distribution curve of the multi-hole shear connector is catenary, and the efficiency coefficient must be considered in different limit states.