Numerical and analytical investigations on the flexural behaviours of composite beams of inverted-T steel section and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) slab

Abstract

This study numerically and analytically investigates the flexural performance of a new form of steel–concrete composite beam, where an inverted-T section is connected to ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) slab that serves as the compression chord. Such arrangement eliminates the necessity for the top flange and absorbs the compressive stresses when the beam is under construction. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop a comprehensive finite element (FE) model for the proposed inverted-T steel-UHPC composite beam in ABAQUS by considering both geometric and material nonlinearities. The developed FE model was validated against the existing experimental results, and afterwards the validated FE model was employed to conduct an extensive parametric study. In the parametric study, the effects of different design parameters including slab thickness, concrete compressive strength, stud spacing, stud diameter, effective width of slab and web penetration depth were investigated in terms of the load–deflection, bond-slip, and damage patterns. Furthermore, the load–deflection and load-slip behaviors of the proposed beam were compared with the conventional steel–concrete composite beam. Finally, an analytical procedure was developed to determine the flexural resistance of the inverted-T steel-UHPC composite beam. The results of this study will pave the way toward a practical application that is expected to decrease the construction time and cost.