“Performance of connections for prefabricated timber-concrete composite floors.”

Timber–concrete composite beams and slabs require interlayer connectors, which provide composite action in the cross-section. A range of
mechanical connectors is available on the market
with an extensive variety of stiffness and strength properties, which are fundamental design parameters
for the composite structure. Another crucial parameter
is the cost of the connector, including the labour cost, that if too high may prevent the use of the composite system. In order to reduce the construction cost and make timber–concrete structures more widespread on the market, it is believed that a high degree of prefabrication should be achieved. For a simple and cost effective construction process, the use of ‘‘dry’’ connections, which do not require the pouring and curing of concrete on site, may represent a possible solution. This paper reports the outcomes of an experimental programme aimed to investigate a number of different mechanical ‘‘dry–dry’’ connectors previously embedded into a prefabricated
concrete slab. Direct shear tests on small blocks made
of a glulam segment connected with a prefabricated concrete slab were performed. The shear force relative
slip relationships were measured and all the
relevant mechanical properties such as slip moduli
and shear strengths were calculated. It was found that
some of the new developed connection systems for
prefabricated concrete slab can perform as satisfactorily
as those for cast-in-situ slabs, with the additional benefit of being relatively inexpensive.