Verona Forum – an ambitious redevelopment project in Northern Italy

Avoid welding completely by using Hilti shear connectors for composite beams

THE CHALLENGE

This was a large construction project, redeveloping the Foro Boario area next to the west gate of Verona’s Exhibition Centre.

It included two new buildings, a 11,300m² office tower and a four star business hotel of 8,000 m². Designed by Architect Mario Bellini, the project uses inventive design and technological features throughout to reduce its energy consumption.

Structurally, the office tower and the hotel have a central core made of concrete to accommodate service stairs, technical compartments and elevators. The material used for the floors consists of a steel-concrete solution with steel beam framework, made with commercial profiles and a concrete slab.

THE SOLUTION

Hilti shear connectors were chosen to fasten composite beams in the decking and flooring.
These are designed to prevent sliding between the steel and concrete, and are an effective alternative to welding.
Hilti X-HVB shear connectors in various sizes were installed using our powder-actuated tools, which are powerful enough to penetrate the steel beam.

The advantages of our system were:

There was no need for an external energy supply – so the installer could work independently even when it was raining, very humid or very cold
Installation wasn’t affected by the coating of the metal beams (for instance if they were painted or galvanized) as there was no need for welding
There was no need for a certified welder or specialist skills onsite

PRODUCTS SPECIFIED FOR THIS SOLUTION

DX 76 semi-automatic powder-actuated tool

A heavy-duty fastener for driving collated nails on steel structures
More information

X-HVB shear connector

Economical shear connectors for concrete-steel composite construction, helping to reduce the total cost of installation
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