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University of Arkansas

Investigations into Flange Surface Friction Effects on Shear Stud Load Transfer in Composite Bridge Girders

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>Composite bridge behavior is commonly achieved through headed shear studs welded tothe steel girder flange and embedded in the concrete deck. Current AASHTO provisions for estimating demands on shear studs during service-level loading consider only bearing load transfer, neglecting adhesion bonding and friction load transfer between the concrete deck and girder flange. Quantifying alternative load transfer mechanisms across the steel-concrete interface may result in improved steel bridge economy by reducing the number of studs required in a composite girder design. This study investigates the effects of flange surface friction (considering various coatings) on resulting stud demands using both experimental testing and analytical modeling. In this study, inorganic zinc primer and cleaned mill-scale surface conditions are considered in analytical simulations, and inorganic zinc primer coatings are considered in double-sided pushout experiments to quantify flange surface coating effects. Thin foil pressure gauges are used to measure stud demands while controlled normal forces are applied to each slab to allow controlled changes in flange friction force during testing. A total of nine experimental tests are conducted. The analytical study involves 32 finite element simulations of pushout geometries having normal forces of 0k, 5k, 10k, 25k, and shear forces of 10k, 15k, 20k, and 25k. Results from both experiments and analyses indicate that moderate increases in applied normal force (10k) result in friction load transfer that reduce stud demands by 86.6% on average. Applied normal forces of 6k resulted in 74% reduction in stud demands when compared to tests having no applied normal force. </p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Year dc:date.available
2022

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Clark, Callie
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Prinz, Gary S.
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Hale, W. Micah
  • Murray, Cameron D.

Subjects

dc:subject × 6

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4680
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholarworks.uark.edu:etd-6230

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Arkansas
Base URL
scholarworks.uark.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Clark, Callie. Investigations into Flange Surface Friction Effects on Shear Stud Load Transfer in Composite Bridge Girders. Thesis thesis, 2022. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4680