The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the 5/16 in. diameter Elco Grade 8 standoff screw as a mechanical shear connector in composite joists. Standoff screws are being investigated as an alternative to welded shear studs in short span composite joists. The data and results obtained from 106 pushout tests performed on the Elco Grade 8 standoff screw are presented. The test parameters include: standoff screw height, quantity of standoff screws per deck rib, standoff screw position, slab depth, base angle thickness, deck type, and amount of transverse reinforcement. The test results from this study are compared to those obtained in previous research performed by Hankins (1994), and the applicability of Hankins' predictive equation for the shear strength of the Elco Grade 8 standoff screw is investigated. The influences of various test parameters on the shear strength of the standoff screw are evaluated and the effects of grouping the standoff screws in the deck ribs are examined. The performance of the standoff screw in solid slab applications is also investigated. Predictive equations for the shear strength of the Elco Grade 8 standoff screw, based on screw-related failure modes, concrete rib failures, and longitudinal splitting of solid concrete slabs, are presented. / Master of Science

No / This paper presents a numerical investigation into the behaviour of headed shear stud in composite beams with profiled metal decking. A three-dimensional finite element model was developed using general purpose finite element program ABAQUS to study the behaviour of through-deck welded shear stud in the composite slabs with trapezoidal deck ribs oriented perpendicular to the beam. Both static and dynamic procedures were investigated using Drucker Prager model and Concrete Damaged Plasticity model respectively. In the dynamic procedure using ABAQUS/Explicit, the push test specimens were loaded slowly to eliminate significant inertia effects to obtain a static solution. The capacity of shear connector, load-slip behaviour and failure modes were predicted and validated against experimental results. The delamination of the profiled decking from concrete slab was captured in the numerical analysis which was observed in the experiments. ABAQUS/Explicit was found to be particularly suitable for modelling post-failure behaviour and the contact interaction between profiled decking and concrete slabs. It is concluded that this model represents the true behaviour of the headed shear stud in composite beams with profiled decking in terms of the shear connection capacity, load-slip behaviour and failure modes.

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The purpose of this study is to further evaluate the performance of the 5/16 in. diameter Elco Grade 8 standoff screw as a mechanical shear connector in composite joists. Standoff screws are being investigated as viable an alternative to welded shear studs in short span composite joists. The data and results obtained from 59 pushout tests performed on the 5/16 in. diameter Elco Grade 8 standoff screw are presented. The test parameters investigated in this study include: standoff screw height, quantity of standoff screws per deck rib, standoff screw position, slab depth, base angle thickness, deck type, and amount of transverse reinforcement. Test results gathered in this study are used in conjunction with selected test data from research performed by Alander (1998). This combined test data is used in determining the validity of existing predictive equations for the shear strength of the 5/16 in. diameter Elco Grade 8 standoff screw. The influence of various independent variables on shear strength is investigated for all screw densities tested. The performance of the 5/16 in. diameter Elco Grade 8 standoff screw in solid slab applications is also investigated. Proposed predictive equations for the shear strength of the 5/16 in. diameter Elco Grade 8 standoff screw based on screw-related failure modes, concrete cone failures and longitudinal splitting, are presented. / Master of Science

The full-width, full-depth precast panel system is very convenient for rehabilitation of deteriorated decks as well as for new bridge construction. The horizontal shear strength at the interface between the two interconnected elements is of primary importance in order to provide composite action. The strength of the bond between the two precast members should be high enough to prevent any progressive slip from taking place. Flexural strength, shear strength and deflection characteristics all depend on the satisfactory performance of the interface to provide composite action. However, the case when both of the interconnected elements are precast members bonded by means of grout, is not currently addressed by ACI or AASHTO. This is the main impetus for this project. A total of 36 push-off tests were performed to develop a method for quantifying horizontal shear strength and to recommend the best practice for the system. Test parameters included different haunch heights, different grout types, different amount and different type of shear connectors. Two equations, for uncracked and cracked concrete interfaces, are proposed to be used in horizontal shear design when the precast panels are used. Predictive equations are compared with available methods for the horizontal shear strength of the precast panel system. Conclusions and recommendations for the optimum system are made. / Master of Science

A study is hereby presented on system embedded photonic interconnect technologies, which would address the communications bottleneck in modern exascale data centre systems driven by exponentially rising consumption of digital information and the associated complexity of intra-data centre network management along with dwindling data storage capacities. It is proposed that this bottleneck be addressed by adopting within the system electro-optical printed circuit boards (OPCBs), on which conventional electrical layers provide power distribution and static or low speed signaling, but high speed signals are conveyed by optical channels on separate embedded optical layers. One crucial prerequisite towards adopting OPCBs in modern data storage and switch systems is a reliable method of optically connecting peripheral cards and devices within the system to an OPCB backplane or motherboard in a pluggable manner. However the large mechanical misalignment tolerances between connecting cards and devices inherent to such systems are contrasted by the small sizes of optical waveguides required to support optical communication at the speeds defined by prevailing communication protocols. An innovative approach is therefore required to decouple the contrasting mechanical tolerances in the electrical and optical domains in the system in order to enable reliable pluggable optical connectivity. This thesis presents the design, development and characterisation of a suite of new optical waveguide connector interface solutions for electro-optical printed circuit boards (OPCBs) based on embedded planar polymer waveguides and planar glass waveguides. The technologies described include waveguide receptacles allowing parallel fibre connectors to be connected directly to OPCB embedded planar waveguides and board-to-board connectors with embedded parallel optical transceivers allowing daughtercards to be orthogonally connected to an OPCB backplane. For OPCBs based on embedded planar polymer waveguides and embedded planar glass waveguides, a complete demonstration platform was designed and developed to evaluate the connector interfaces and the associated embedded optical interconnect. Furthermore a large portfolio of intellectual property comprising 19 patents and patent applications was generated during the course of this study, spanning the field of OPCBs, optical waveguides, optical connectors, optical assembly and system embedded optical interconnects.

Systems populating the Ubiquitous Computing environment are characterized by an often extreme level of heterogeneity at different layers which prevents their seamless interoperability. In this environment, heterogeneous protocols would cooperate to reach some common goal even though they meet dynamically and do not have a priori knowledge of each other. Although numerous efforts have been done in the literature, the automated and run-time interoperability is still an open challenge for such environment. Therefore, this thesis focuses on overcoming the interoperability problem between heterogeneous protocols in the Ubiquitous Computing. In particular, we aim at providing a means to drop the interoperability barriers by automatically eliciting a way for the protocols to interact. The solution we propose is the automated synthesis of emerging mediating connectors (also called mediators or connectors). Specifically, we concentrate our efforts to: (i) devising AMAzING, a process to synthesize mediators, (ii) characterizing protocol mismatches and related mediator patterns, and (iii) designing MediatorS, a theory of mediating connectors. The theory, and the process, are put in practice by applying them to a real world application, and have been adopted by the European Research Project CONNECT.

This thesis summarizes the results of an experimental investigation involving the testing of push-out specimens with channel shear connectors. The test program involved the testing of 78 push-out specimens and was aimed at the development of new equations for channel shear connectors embedded in solid concrete slabs and slabs with wide ribbed metal deck oriented parallel to the beam. <p>The test specimens were designed to study the effect of a number of parameters on the shear capacity of channel shear connectors. Six series of push-out specimens were tested in two phases. The primary difference between the two phases was the height of the channel connector. Other test parameters included the compressive strength of concrete, the length and the web thickness of the channel. <p>Three different types of failure mechanisms were observed. In specimens with higher strength concrete, failure was caused by the fracture of the channel near the fillet with the channel web acting like a cantilever beam. Crushing-splitting of concrete was the observed mode of failure in specimens with solid slabs when lower strength concrete was used. In most of the specimens with metal deck slabs, a concrete shear plane type of failure was observed. In the specimens involving this type of failure, the channel connector remained intact and the concrete contained within the flute in front of channel web sheared off along the interface. <p>The load carrying capacity of a channel connector increased almost linearly with the increase in channel length. On average, the increase was about 39% when the channel length was increased from 50 mm to 100 mm. There was a further increase of 24% when the channel length was increased from 100 mm to 150 mm. The influence of web thickness of channel connector was significant when the failure occurred due to channel web fracture but was minimal for a concrete crushing-splitting type of failure. <p>The specimens with solid concrete slabs carried higher load compared to those with metal deck slabs. The increase in load capacity was 33% for specimens with 150 mm long channels but only 12% for those with 50 mm long channel connectors. <p>This investigation resulted in the development of a new equation for predicting the shear strength of channel connectors embedded in solid concrete slabs. The proposed equation provides much better correlation to test results than those obtained using the current CSA equation. <p>The results of specimens with metal deck slabs were used to develop a new equation for predicting the shear capacity of channel connectors embedded in slabs with metal deck oriented parallel to the beam. The values predicted by the proposed equation were in good agreement with the observed test values.

This thesis summarizes the results of an experimental investigation involving the testing of push-out specimens with channel shear connectors. The test program involved the testing of 78 push-out specimens and was aimed at the development of new equations for channel shear connectors embedded in solid concrete slabs and slabs with wide ribbed metal deck oriented parallel to the beam. <p>The test specimens were designed to study the effect of a number of parameters on the shear capacity of channel shear connectors. Six series of push-out specimens were tested in two phases. The primary difference between the two phases was the height of the channel connector. Other test parameters included the compressive strength of concrete, the length and the web thickness of the channel. <p>Three different types of failure mechanisms were observed. In specimens with higher strength concrete, failure was caused by the fracture of the channel near the fillet with the channel web acting like a cantilever beam. Crushing-splitting of concrete was the observed mode of failure in specimens with solid slabs when lower strength concrete was used. In most of the specimens with metal deck slabs, a concrete shear plane type of failure was observed. In the specimens involving this type of failure, the channel connector remained intact and the concrete contained within the flute in front of channel web sheared off along the interface. <p>The load carrying capacity of a channel connector increased almost linearly with the increase in channel length. On average, the increase was about 39% when the channel length was increased from 50 mm to 100 mm. There was a further increase of 24% when the channel length was increased from 100 mm to 150 mm. The influence of web thickness of channel connector was significant when the failure occurred due to channel web fracture but was minimal for a concrete crushing-splitting type of failure. <p>The specimens with solid concrete slabs carried higher load compared to those with metal deck slabs. The increase in load capacity was 33% for specimens with 150 mm long channels but only 12% for those with 50 mm long channel connectors. <p>This investigation resulted in the development of a new equation for predicting the shear strength of channel connectors embedded in solid concrete slabs. The proposed equation provides much better correlation to test results than those obtained using the current CSA equation. <p>The results of specimens with metal deck slabs were used to develop a new equation for predicting the shear capacity of channel connectors embedded in slabs with metal deck oriented parallel to the beam. The values predicted by the proposed equation were in good agreement with the observed test values.