Flexural Behavior of Steel–Concrete Composite Beams Considering Interlayer Slip

Abstract

Steel–concrete composite bridges, which combine the excellent tensile properties of steel beams and the compressive properties of concrete slabs, are widely used worldwide because of their superior mechanical properties, convenience of construction, and economic efficiency. Although various analysis tools have been presented for the design and evaluation of steel–concrete composite beams, there is still no effective tool that considers the effect of interlayer bonds on the flexural behavior of composite beams. This study developed an engineer-friendly mechanical model to analyze the flexural behavior of composite beams with consideration of the interlayer slip between the steel and concrete. In the model, the shear studs in the composite beams were simulated using nonlinear springs. The mechanical model was validated using experimental results. The model was used to predict the interlayer slip and deflection of composite beams under different loading levels. The analysis results indicated that neglecting interlayer slip leads to underestimation of the deflection of composite beams by as much as 27%–35%.