prediction of shear capacity of flange-to-flange connectors of double-tee beams under static and cyclic loading conditions

Double-tees used as roofs and floors in commercial buildings and parking garages are generally joined by mechanical connectors to form floor systems. the in-plane behavior of a double-tee diaphragm depends on the properties of the flange-type connectors. in this study, three types of double-tee flange-to-flange connectors—c-plate–bar and bow-shaped connectors in untopped double-tees and h-plate–bar connectors in pretopped double-tees—are investigated and their behavior under shear loading is examined. these connectors are simulated using the finite element method (fem), and the modeling results are compared to the experimental assessment findings of the selected connectors. the failure modes, hysteretic behavior, deformation capacity, ductility, and shear capacity of the double-tee connectors are elucidated in this paper. the fem analysis results show good agreement with the experimental ones in terms of the shear capacity of the connectors, with approximately 20% error at most. the diameter of the anchor bars and the thickness of the steel plates are revealed to have particular effects on the strength of the connectors. specifically, using large-diameter anchor bars changes the shear capacity of the connectors to a certain extent, with a maximum increase of 11%. modified truss and modified shear friction models are developed to accurately estimate the shear capacity of the three connectors. © 2022, iran university of science and technology.