Analyzing the minimum degree of shear connection for composite beams with prestressed dismountable shear connections

The construction sector is responsible for 37% of global energy and process emissions, with materials like concrete, steel, aluminum, bricks, and glass contributing 9% ofCO2 emissions. To reduce emissions, the industry must adopt a circular economic approach,focusing on material and structure lifecycles. Composite structures, such as those proposed by the RFCS project “REDUCE” (2016), offer solutions through demountable designs using boltsas shear connectors. Bolted connections exhibit a tri-linear load-slip behavior, differing fromwelded shear studs. An analytical algorithm and a numerical study using ABAQUS© softwarewere developed to understand this behavior. The study aims to characterize slip behavior inshear connections, particularly for beams with a low degree of shear connection and compare it to the maximum allowable slip of 6mm from EN1994-1-1. The goal is to assess the applicability of the proposed algorithm and EN1994-1-1 standards for new bolted shear connections.