Advancing sustainable construction: Developing shear connections for reusable steel–timber composite floors

Abstract

This paper presents the development, experimental evaluation, and numerical analysis of a novel demountable shear connection for steel–timber composite floors, aimed at supporting sustainable and reusable building solutions. The proposed connection comprises a threaded stud welded to the steel beam and inserted into a steel tube embedded within a circular grout pocket in the CLT panel. The use of a threaded nut enables straightforward disassembly, allowing for the reuse of both steel and timber components at the end of the structure's service life. An experimental push‐out test programme was carried out to investigate the mechanical behaviour of the connection. Two demountable configurations with different grout pocket diameters were tested, together with a non‐demountable headed stud used as a reference. The results provide insight into the load–slip behaviour, shear resistance, stiffness and failure mechanisms of the proposed system. In addition, finite element numerical models were developed to further examine the connection response and to explore opportunities for connection design improvement.