Load-bearing connectors/connections for concrete and reinforced concrete members

Load-bearing connectors for concrete and reinforced concrete members comprise slab connectors, stair connectors, shear dowels and column shoes.

Slab connectors, e.g. balcony and floor slab connectors, are load-bearing thermally insulating elements for thermal separation of members made of reinforced concrete. The connector consists of an insulating layer, an arrangement of bars for resisting tensile and shear forces as well as steel or concrete compression elements. The forces between the connected slabs are transmitted through bonding or joint-lapping and contact pressure to the adjacent components.

Stair connectors are load-bearing and impact-sound-reducing connecting elements between reinforced concrete landing slabs and stair flights. They serve to transmit shear forces and small horizontal loads parallel to the connection joint and provide impact sound insulation at the same time.

A shear dowel consists of a dowel component and a sleeve. Each of them has an embedded part for anchoring in the concrete member. Shear dowels are form-fitting elements connecting reinforced concrete members and serve to transfer shear forces via construction joints.

A column shoe consists of a horizontal base plate and one or several side plates, all welded together. Anchor bolts made of reinforcing steel are welded to the side plates. The column shoes serve as connectors between a reinforced concrete column and the foundation or between two reinforced concrete columns or between reinforced concrete columns and reinforced concrete beams.

Regulatory framework

DIBt grants national technical approvals (abZ) for slab connectors, stair connectors, shear dowels column shoes. European Technical Assessments (ETAs) can also be issued.

Furthermore, DIBt grants general construction technique permits (aBG) for connections comprising these products for which there are no conclusive technical rules.

Please also refer to the applicable design and execution rules, cf., in particular, MVV TB, Part A 1.

EAD 050001-00-0301 Load bearing thermal insulating elements which form a thermal break between balconies and internal floors (39 pages ) Version: February 2018; OJEU 2018/C 090/04; EOTA EAD 050019-00-0301 Dowels for structural joints under static and quasi-static loading (27 pages ) Version: March 2019; Decision (EU) 2020/1574; superseding technical specification "ETAG 030"; EOTA EOTA TR065 Design of structural joints with shear dowels (11 pages ) October 2019; EOTA ETAG 030/1 Guideline for European Technical Approval of Dowels for Structural Joints Part 1: General (41 pages ) Edition April 2013; abgelöst durch EAD 050019 ETAG 030/2 Guideline for European Technical Approval of Dowels for Structural Joints Part 2: Seismic Action (10 pages ) Edition April 2013; abgelöst durch EAD 050019 ETAG 030/3 Guideline for European Technical Approval of Dowels for Structural Joints Part 3: Cyclic Loading (9 pages ) Edition April 2013; abgelöst durch EAD 050019

National procedure

A national technical approval (abZ) and/or oder general construction technique permit (aBG) is granted upon application (see Model Building Code (MBO), Sections 16a(2) and18(2) and (4)). This also applies to amendments and supplements to, or renewals of existing approvals and/or construction technique permits.

No formal requirements apply. The following information is needed: name and address of the applicant, description of the product and/or construction technique and its field of use or application, type of decision required (new decision, amendment or supplement to, or renewal of, an existing decision).

Please feel free to use the template below.

European Technical Assessment (ETA)

To start the ETA procedure, please submit the form below. We will then check if the prerequisites for issuing an ETA are met, i.e., in particular, if the product is not fully covered by an existing harmonised standard. If the prerequisites are met, we will check whether a European Assessment Document (EAD) covering the requested assessment scope already exists or still needs to be developed. If an EAD needs to be developed or amended, a complete technical file needs to be established before the procedure can begin.