An investigation into shear resistances of headed shear studs in solid concrete slabs with local aggregates in Hong Kong

In general, there are limited experimental reports on the shear resistances of typical interfacial shear connections of headed shear studs and solid concrete slabs with local aggregates in Hong Kong. Moreover, while it is commonly reckoned that the presence of any tensile force in the headed shear stud will reduce its shear resistance significantly, there are few test data in the literature on combined shear and tensile resistances of headed shear studs in solid concrete slabs. Hence, in order to provide technical guidance and design data on the structural behaviour of the interfacial shear connections for construction in Hong Kong, a total of twelve push-out tests were carried out to obtain the shear resistances of the shear studs in i) standard push-out tests where the shear studs are under direct shear force, and ii) modified push-out tests where the shear studs are under combined shear and tension. It should be noted that the standard test arrangement recommended by Eurocode 4 is adopted, and headed shear studs with a diameter of 19 mm and solid slabs with Grade 30 concrete are used. Details of the tests as well as the test results are presented in the paper. Moreover, the load-slippage curves of the test specimens are analyzed rationally to provide two standardized load-slippage curves to describe the structural behaviour of the connections during the entire loading ranges.