EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON EFFECT OF SHEAR CONNECTOR IN LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE

Composite construction is well established for some decades as a construction method. The light steel gives two advantages which are cheaper and lighter. One of the important parameters which affects the ultimate strength of the composite section is the bond at the interface of the steel and the concrete which relies on the shear forces existing between the steel section and the concrete core where mechanical connectors are provided. Based on the literature survey, Stud connectors are to be used in this experimental work, because of its excellent load carrying capacity and better ductility. Lightweight concrete is now a commonly used material that can successfully replace normal density concrete and the presence of shear connector provides good bonding strength between steel section and concrete. The principal reason for using light weight concrete is the advantage of reducing the concrete element’s self-weight. This weight saving permits larger spans or lower the weight of the steel section and lowers the cost of the foundations.