Analysis of shear resistance of stud connectors under different levels of corrosion

To study the degradation patterns of shear resistance of stud connectors under corrosion conditions, an ABAQUS finite element model was established for numerical simulation. Four different corrosion distribution patterns, namely, uniform annulus, compressive zone semi-annulus, tensile zone semi-annulus, and tensile-compressive zone semi-annulus, were considered. Numerical analyses were carried out for different corrosion heights (CH) and depths. The results show that when the corrosion depth (CD) is constant, the shear bearing capacity decreases with the increase of CH, reaching its minimum at a CH of 10 mm. Moreover, the greater the CD, the greater the degree of reduction. When the CH is constant, the shear capacity and stiffness decrease linearly with the increase of CD. Under the conditions of equal CH and CD of the studs, the reduction of shear capacity and stiffness of uniform annulus corrosion is the largest, which is about 60% lower than the other three situations, while the smallest reduction occurs in the studs with compressive zone semi-annulus corrosion. The research results can provide reference for the durability design of stud connectors in steel-concrete composite structures.