Behavior of stub girder floor system with partial shear connection

A stub-girder floor system is a composite system constructed from a continuous steel beam and a reinforced concrete slab separated by a series of short, typically wide, flange sections called stubs. The finite element method has been used in the analysis of this composite system where it is capable to represent the constituent parts, adopt adequate elements and use appropriate solution techniques. As the behavior of stub-girders presents significant nonlinear effects, it is fundamental that the interaction of all different components should be properly modeled as well as the interface behavior. The present work focuses on the modeling of stub-girders with full and partial shear connection in two and three dimensions. The proposed model contains all the main structural parameters and their associated nonlinearities (concrete slab, steel beam, stubs, and shear connectors). In this model, the shear connectors are modeled as springs to consider the geometry of studs in addition to the nonlinearity due to the interaction between the shear connector and the concrete slab. Tests and numerical results available in the literature are used to validate the models. Based on the proposed finite element model, an extensive parametric study of stub-girders is performed, considering the material properties, relative dimensions and shear connector characteristics, where valuable recommendations and conclusions are achieved.