Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) exhibits significantly higher tensile strength compared to normal concrete (NC). In this paper, the application of UHPC to the precast base plate of composite slabs was proposed, leading to the development of a reinforced truss UHPC-NC composite slab. This approach effectively enhanced the crack resistance of the slab. A finite element model (FEM) for the reinforced truss UHPC-NC composite slab was developed based on the ABAQUS (2016) platform, using appropriate material constitutive relationships for UHPC, NC, and steel reinforcement. The validity of the model was verified through comparison with relevant test results. Subsequently, the effects of parameters such as the cross-sectional area of the upper and lower truss chords, the reinforcement ratio of the precast base plate, the strength grade of the UHPC base plate, and the thickness of the UHPC base plate on the flexural capacity of the UHPC-NC composite slab were investigated. Finally, the equations for calculating the flexural capacity of the UHPC-NC composite slab were proposed. It was found that increasing the cross-sectional area of the lower truss chord improved the flexural capacity and stiffness of such slabs to some extent, though ductility was slightly reduced. On the other hand, increasing the upper chord cross-sectional area had limited impact on the flexural performance. Increasing the reinforcement ratio of the longitudinal reinforcement in the precast base plate significantly enhanced the load-bearing capacity and stiffness but similarly reduced ductility. As the UHPC grade of the precast base plate increased, the cracking load, yield load, and ultimate load of the slab also increased. However, when the UHPC grade exceeded C120, the improvement in flexural capacity became less significant. With an increase in thickness of the precast UHPC base plate, cracking, yield, and ultimate loads also rose, but ductility decreased. When the thickness of UHPC exceeded 60 mm, the increase in flexural capacity became modest. The proposed equations for calculating the flexural capacity of the reinforced truss UHPC-NC composite slab in the normal section agreed well with simulation results, providing theoretical and numerical support for the design and analysis of UHPC-NC composite slabs.
Read full abstract