An innovative system to increase the longitudinal shear capacity of composite slabs

Abstract

Steel-concrete composite slabs with profiled steel sheeting are widely used in the execution of floors in steel and composite buildings. The rapid construction process, the elimination of conventional replaceable shuttering and the reduction of temporary support are, in general, considered the main advantages of this structural system. In slabs with the spans currently used, the longitudinal shear resistance commonly provided by the embossments along the steel sheet tends to be the governing design mode. This paper presents an innovative reinforcing system that increases the longitudinal shear capacity of composite slabs. The system is constituted by a set of transversal reinforcing bars crossing longitudinal stiffeners executed along the upper flanges of the steel sheet profiles. This type of reinforcement takes advantage of the high bending resistance of the composite slabs and increases the slab\' s s ductility. Two experimental programmes were carried out: a small-scale test programme – to study the resistance provided by the reinforcing system in detail – and a full-scale test programme to test simply supported and continuous composite slabs – to assess the efficacy of the proposed reinforcing system on the global behaviour of the slabs. Based on the results of the small-scale tests, an equation to predict the resistance provided by the proposed reinforcing system was established. The present study concludes that the resistance and the ductility of composite slabs using the reinforcing system proposed here are significantly increased.