Lecture 8:

Composite Concrete Analysis and Design (ref Marshall & Robberts ch 4)

Introduction:

A composite structural element is composed of different materials. In the case of

prestressed concrete beams with a reinforced concrete slab, both are made of
concrete, but they are likely to be of different material properties and interact with a
time factor involved. It’s not unusual for a prestressed concrete beam to be of 50
MPa concrete but most likely that the slab would be uneconomical at more than 30
MPa.

Below are several examples of composite construction. Mostly their use is for bridge
construction over busy traffic or railways, where interruption of the traffic may be kept
to a minimum by precasting/prestrassing the beam, then lifting it into place and
casting the slab over the top. Construction is quick, the need for temporary support
work is eliminated and disruption is minimal.

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The analysis is similar to a non-composite section, but the following considerations
need to be taken into account for composite sections:

1. The stresses must be checked at each stage of construction to take into account
the self-weight of the beam alone at transfer, then again before casting of the slab
,taking the relative losses into account, then the system including the mass of the
concrete, again taking full long-term losses into account and finally the addition of
the live load stresses. The superimposed dead loads should also be included at the
appropriate stage in construction of that particular system.

2. The effective flange width must be transformed to account for the different
material properties (Ebeam and Eslab are most likely to be vastly different and the
modular ratio of the two transforms the effectiveness of the slab width).

3. The assumption of an effective horizontal shear resistance between the beam and
slab needs to be made to ensure the composite action. This is accounted for in the
preparation of the joint between the beam and slab and in the ultimate limit state
design of the composite section.

4. The tensile stresses in the bottom of the precast beam from differential shrinkage
due to the time difference between casting the beam and the slab needs to be
accounted for in certain conditions.

Analysis of the Composite Section

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