Structural behaviour of a novel demountable interlocking shear connection: Test, modelling and design

To mitigate the burden on excessive carbon emission, energy use and waste generation, the Design for Deconstruction and Reuse (DfDR) principle was recommended in construction sector to enable the reuse of structural components. Flooring systems, one of the main structural components to take and transfer forces, are hard to be reused by using current construction methods. This paper proposes a novel demountable interlocking shear connection that not only effectively transfers shear forces, but also allows the reuse of slab components. To investigate the connection shear behaviour, single shear tests were conducted and both the failure mode and deflection response of the connection were analysed. A comprehensive parametric analysis was also carried out via finite element analysis to further study the parameters influencing the performance of the connection. Results indicate that the shear capacity of the connection can be fully utilised after properly designing the connector edge and end distances. The connector pattern, namely the number of shear keys in a connector, does not affect the connection shear capacity. To expedite the construction process, connections with multiple shear keys are recommended. Existing design equations are also assessed and improved to accurately predict the connection shear capacity.