A Shear connector is a steel projection provided on the top flange of steel composite bridge girders to provide necessary shear transfer between the steel girder and composite slab to enable composite action.
The most widely used form of shear connector is the headed stud, or shear stud. Other forms of shear connector are block and hoop, and channel connectors. Block and hoop, and channel connectors are typically used where large shear transfers are required, as an alternative to closely spaced shear studs.