A three dimensional nonlinear finite element model has been developed to study the behaviour of composite beams with profiled sheeting oriented perpendicular to its axis. The analysis of the push test was carried out using ABAQUS/Explicit with slow load application to ensure a quasi-static solution. Both material and geometric nonlinearities were taken into account. Elastic¿plastic material models were used for all steel components and the Concrete Damaged Plasticity model was used for the concrete slab. The post-failure behaviour of the push test was accurately predicted, which is crucial for realistic determination of shear capacity, slip and failure mode. The results obtained from finite element analysis were verified against the experimental push tests conducted in this research and also from other studies. After validation, the model was used to carry out an extensive parametric study to investigate the effect of transverse spacing in push tests with double studs placed in favourable and staggered positions with various concrete strengths. The results were also compared with the capacity of a single shear stud. It was found that shear connector resistance of pairs of shear connectors placed in favourable position was 94% of the strength of a single shear stud on average, when the transverse spacing between studs was 200 mm or more. For the same spacing, the resistance of staggered pairs of studs was only 86% of the strength of a single stud. The strength of double shear studs in favourable position was higher than that of the staggered pairs of shear connectors.

abstract: Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) are attractive structural materials due to their high stiffness to low weight ratio. However, unidirectional PMCs have low shear strength and failure can occur along kink bands that develop on compression due to plastic microbuckling that carry strains large enough to induce nonlinear matrix deformation. Reviewing the literature, a large fraction of the existing work is for uniaxial compression, and the effects of stress gradients, such as those present during bending, have not been as well explored, and these effects are bound to make difference in terms of kink band nucleation and growth. Furthermore, reports on experimental measurements of strain fields leading to and developing inside these bands in the presence of stress gradients are also scarce and need to be addressed to gain a full understanding of their behavior when UDCs are used under bending and other spatially complex stress states. In a light to bridge the aforementioned gaps, the primary focus of this work is to understand mechanisms for kink band evolution under an influence of stress-gradients induced during bending. Digital image correlation (DIC) is used to measure strains inside and around the kink bands during 3-point bending of samples with 0°/90° stacking made of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers. Measurements indicate bands nucleate at the compression side and propagate into the sample carrying a mixture of large shear and normal strains (~33%), while also decreasing its bending stiffness. Failure was produced by a combination of plastic microbuckling and axial splitting. The microstructure of the kink bands was studied and used in a microstructurally explicit finite element model (FEM) to analyze stresses and strains at ply level in the samples during kink band evolution, using cohesive zone elements to represent the interfaces between plies. Cohesive element properties were deduced by a combination of delamination, fracture and three-point bending tests used to calibrate the FEMs. Modeling results show that the band morphology is sensitive to the shear and opening properties of the interfaces between the plies. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Mechanical Engineering 2016