Experimental Investigation on Shear Connectors for Glulam-UHPC Composite Structures

The combination of glulam timber and concrete has shown to have significant potential for sustainable building design, exploiting the compressive strength of concrete and the tensile strength of timber. To improve the structural performance of timber-concrete composite beam (TCC), this paper proposed a glulam-UHPC composite beam structure that incorporated Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) material, which possessed high strength and durability. This new composite system aimed to reduce dead weight, minimize long-term deformation, and enhanced the span capacity of the structure. However, useful shear connection between the glulam beams and concrete slabs was crucial to ensure the structural feasibility of this system. To investigate the mechanical behavior of the Timber-UHPC connectors in composite structures, various connection systems were analyzed and compared through push-out tests. Results revealed that the notch-screw connection exhibited superior bearing capacity, anti-sliding stiffness, and ductility compared to pure screw and pure notch connectors. This study provided valuable insights into the design and construction of composite structures using TCC and UHPC materials, with potential applications in a range of structural systems.