Abstract
Cold-formed steel (CFS) products are extremely versatile and can be used in multiple applications. To further extend their applicability, this investigation assesses the structural behaviour of innovative built-up CFS-lightweight concrete (LWC) composite beams through experimental testing and numerical modelling. First, four full-scale CFS-LWC simply supported composite beams were tested. The specimens included two distinct configurations of the innovative CFS built-up composite beams. The tested CFS-LWC composite beams comprised a lightweight concrete slab supported by profiled metal decking, connected to a CFS built-up beam using bolted shear studs. Following EN 1994-1-1, the degree of shear connection attained in the specimens ranged from 21 % to 57 %. The test procedure, setup, and collected results are described in detail, including load-bearing capacity, deformation, flexural stiffness, and failure modes. Numerical simulations and calibration against the experimental data were then performed, and the CFS-LWC composite beams with different degrees of shear connections were investigated using the calibrated finite element model. The validity of the available design code for the innovative CFS-LWC composite beams was assessed by comparing experimental findings and analytical predictions using EN1994-1-1 (equilibrium and simplified methods) and AISC 360 methodologies. The results showed that the maximum bending resistance of the composite beam obtained from the equilibrium method of EN1994-1-1 and AISC 360 was unconservative due to the overprediction of shear resistance for the bolted shear connectors. Consequently, a calibrated finite element modelling technique determined the bolted shear connectors’ shear resistance. Finally, the bending resistance design prediction of CFS-LWC composite beams following EN1994-1-1 and AISC 360 methodologies, incorporating the shear connector resistance obtained from simulations, was compared with experimental and numerical results from the parametric study. An excellent agreement was observed between experimental and numerical results with the design predictions according to EN1994-1-1.
Published Version
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