Static and Fatigue Behavior of Short-Headed Studs Embedded in a Thin Ultrahigh-Performance Concrete Layer

Abstract

In recent years, ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) has been increasingly applied to orthotropic steel deck (OSD) bridges. The UHPC layer and the OSD are connected through short-headed studs. This paper studies the static and fatigue behavior of short-headed studs embedded in UHPC. Seven specimens were fabricated for push-out tests, three of which were subjected to static tests, and the other four were subjected to fatigue tests. The headed studs in these specimens had a low height-to-diameter ratio of 2.7. Both the static and fatigue tests showed that the specimens failed because of the fracture of the headed studs, whereas the UHPC layer did not develop appreciable damage. These observations reflected the fact that the short-headed studs developed full strength when embedded in UHPC. Based on the fatigue test results, a design S-N curve with 95% survival probability was proposed.