Thru-deck welded shear studs are commonly used to transfer horizontal shear forces between the steel beam and concrete slab to suit the relevant design standard. These studs are welded to the supporting beams through troughs in the decking. Therefore, it is essential that the decking and beam geometries are considered by the structural engineer when specifying stud quantities, in particular on beams running perpendicular to the decking span.

For a beam to be stud welded, the flange thickness must be a minimum of 0.4 x the stud diameter = 7.6mm for the standard 19mm diameter studs used in composite beam design, to avoid damage to the beam flange (known as burn through).

Where possible, shear studs should be placed on the centre line of the beam directly over the web to avoid burn through.