Experimental evaluation of the mechanical behavior of shear key with rolling and plastic deformation

Abstract

We made a shear loading test on a “key support” which consisted of a shear key and upper and lower plates with keyways. We applied a horizontal displacement on the upper plate under a stable vertical load. During the test, the key showed the shear deformation and rotating displacement. With the rotation, the edge of the key raised the plate. After the edge was apart from the upper plate, the key support showed the ultimate strength against horizontal loading. The shear loading test under the different vertical load showed the similar deformation and rotation, but the ultimate strength differed from another vertical load case. This result indicated that the ultimate strength of the key support against horizontal load was dependent on the vertical load.