Experimental and Parametric Study on the Pull-Out Resistance of a Notched Perfobond Shear Connector

To ease the installation of perforating rebars through multi-holes, an alternative notched perfobond shear connector was proposed by cutting out the hole edge. This paper presents the test results of six pull-out specimens with conventional and notched perfobond shear connectors. The objective was to compare the failure modes and pull-out behaviors of perfobond shear connectors using circular holes and notched holes. Furthermore, the explicit finite element method was introduced and validated to generate parametric results for pull-out tests of notched perfobond shear connectors. A total of 33 parametric simulations were performed to further study the influences of several variables, including the hole diameter, the cut width, the perfobond thickness, the concrete strength, the diameter and strength of the rebar, and the strength of the structural steel. The experimental and numerical results were used to evaluate the previous equations for perfobond shear connectors. Finally, an alternative equation was proposed to estimate the pull-out resistance of notched perfobond shear connectors.