A timber–concrete composite slab with precast concrete elements is being developed in which shear connection and diaphragm action are achieved through a purely mechanical, screwed connector. In addition to enabling non-destructive separation, this solution offers faster installation, reduced moisture input during construction, a smaller structural depth, and eliminates the need for temporary propping.
The shear connection was designed and detailed using threaded bars bonded at an angle to the timber grain using GSA technology and subsequently screwed to the precast concrete element. Large-scale shear tests verify that the connector provides sufficient stiffness and load-bearing capacity. Deflections of timberconcrete composite slabs are strongly influenced by the long-term behaviour of the materials and the connection. The creep behaviour of the shear connectors is currently being investigated in long-term tests. The slab is supported exclusively over the local shear strength of the prefabricated concrete slab. The resistance of the support detail and the associated failure mechanism have been verified through large-scale tests. The required diaphragm action of the slab system, e. g. under seismic loading, is assessed using a stringer–panel model approach. The resulting stiffness is verified by a large-scale test on a panel consisting of three individual slab elements. Vertical load transfer through the slab system is investigated experimentally in two four-point bending tests with a span of 8.00 m: (i) a shortterm test to assess quasi-static behaviour and (ii) a long-term test to characterise timedependant behaviour.
