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Go to Editorial ManagerNew composite reinforced concrete beams, in which reinforced concrete component is connected to steel T-section, are proposed. The stirrups of the beam were utilized as shear connectors by passing them through drilled holes in the web of the steel T-section. Experimental test and numerical analysis were conducted to determine the behaviour of such beams when subjected to combined shear, torsion, and bending stresses. Full scale one conventional reinforced concrete curved in plan beam C1, and four composite reinforced concrete ones, C2 to C5, were tested. The degree of shear connection between the two components of beams C2 to C5 was changed by varying the number of stirrups which are used as shear connectors. The increase in load carrying capacity of the composite reinforced concrete beams reached 55 % for beam C4 as compared to that of ordinary reinforced concrete beam. The experimental results demonstrated that the stirrups are very effective in providing the interaction between the two components of the beams. The degree of shear connection emerged not to have effect on the behaviour of tested beams. Three-dimensional finite element analysis was conducted using commercial software ABAQUS. To model the shear connection in composite reinforced concrete beam, the stirrups were connected to the web of the steel T-section by springs at the location of the stirrups. Good agreement is obtained between the results of the experimental tests and the finite element analysis.
A composite beam is an accumulation of different materials so as to form a single unit to exploit the prominent quality of these materials according to their position within the cross-section of the composite beam. The present study investigates the structural behavior of six simply supported composite beams, in which a reinforced concrete T-beam is connected together with a steel channel located at the bottom of a T-beam by means of headed stud shear connectors. The used degrees of shear connection are (100%, 75%, 50%, and 38%). Three dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis has been used to conduct the numerical investigation for the general behavior of beams which are subjected to central point load. ANSYS 12.1 program code was used to estimate the ultimate loads, deflections, stresses, strains, end slip. Concrete was modeled by brick element (SOLID65), while the steel channel was modeled as brick element (SOLID45). Two-node discrete elements (LINK8) are used to represent the steel reinforcement and shear connectors. Perfect bond between the reinforcing rebars and the concrete was assumed. The load on beams was applied monotonically in increments up to failure. The reduction of the degree of shear connection from 100% to 38% causes increasing of strain, mid span deflection and end slip with an average of 3.95%, 13%, and 111% respectively, while the ultimate load decreases with an average of 7.3%. In order to observe the efficiency of the 3-D model, a comparison was made with available experimental work. Good agreement was obtained throughout this work between the finite element and available test results.