Use Of Decks Research Articles

08.08: Prefabricated demountable concrete and FRP decks in composite structures

ABSTRACTWelded shear studs are traditionally used to achieve composite actions between steel beams and concrete slabs. Relevance of composite structures for future applications in construction sector is increased by using demountable shear connectors which enables easy reuse of structures. The latest achievements of using demountable bolts embedded in prefabricated concrete slabs as shear connectors are presented in this paper. The focus of the investigation is on possible influence of execution tolerances on the level of composite action. The second issue addressed in the paper is use of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite deck instead of concrete slabs. FRP decks have high strength‐to‐weight ratio which reduce the total weight of the deck. Use of decks which have smaller self‐weight facilitates the transport and execution process and reduces foundation costs especially in high‐rise buildings. FRP composites are used in aerospace, automotive and shipbuilding industries for decades. They are considered as a maintenance free material. The main obstacle for wider applications of FRP material in construction is relatively a low stiffness of composites made of glass fibres and thermoset resins. Use of sandwich systems and hybrid decks, which combine FRP and the steel to increase the stiffness, are investigated in order to satisfy the design requirements. The third item of modern composite structures considered in this paper is use of high strength steel (HSS) grades to optimize the weight/strength ratio of structures. Results of a short parametric study using welded hybrid beams, combination of HSS and mild steel grades, is presented. This indicates significant reduction of weight and costs compared to the design using rolled cross section beams.

Partial Continuity in Bridge Girders with Jointless Decks

Many bridges are constructed in groups of simple spans. This construction system requires the use of deck (expansion) joints over piers, leading to numerous problems that are costly to maintain or repair. The use of jointless bridge decks is one of the alternatives gaining popularity among bridge engineers and officials. The construction of new bridges without expansion joints, or the elimination of expansion joints in existing bridges, reduces a great portion of the direct and indirect costs associated with the use of expansion joints. In this paper, a method is proposed for the flexural analysis of bridges with jointless decks. Partial continuity resulting from the link slab is investigated, and results obtained from the proposed method are verified using experimental data found in the literature and a detailed finite element model. The proposed method is utilized in a parametric study to investigate the effects of span length ratios, link slab stiffness, and girder axial stiffness on the behavior of a ...

Web Crippling Strength of Steel Deck Subjected to End One Flange Loading

Cold-formed steel deck profiles are extensively used in building construction due to their versatility and economy. Web crippling is one of the failure modes of these multiweb profiles. The provisions for web crippling contained in the 1996 AISI Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members are believed to be conservative for multiweb deck sections. They are based on unfastened specimens and are limited to the use of decks with certain geometric parameters. The unified web crippling equation of the 2001 North American Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members is also limited to certain geometric parameters. Although new web crippling coefficients for different load cases and different end conditions are contained in the specification, coefficients for the unfastened configuration in the end one flange loading case were used as a conservative solution for the fastened case because there are no test data available in the literature that are applicable to mul...