Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Novel Demountable Timber–Concrete Composite Floor

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in timber–concrete composite (TCC) floors as a sustainable structural solution. Until now, only a few studies have investigated the demounting of TCC floors, which is essential to increase sustainability and improve the end-of-life environmental benefits of a floor system. This study investigates an innovative and straightforward demountable TCC slab that has notched and bolted connections. Six downscaled slabs are tested under four-point bending. The results show that the slab system has high composite action with an efficiency of 0.73. A three-dimensional finite element model is developed and calibrated with the experimental result. The model is used to study the influence of several parameters, such as the shape and dimensions of the notch as well as the bolt location on the load-bearing capacity and the load-deflection behavior of the slab. The results show that the failure tends to be more ductile when a birdsmouth-shaped notch is used, and the bolt is placed within the notch. Moreover, the load-bearing capacity of the shear connection increases by increasing the distance of the notch to the end of the slab and using a triangular notch.