Long-Term Behavior of Prestressed Composite Beams at

Service Loads for One Year

Weichen Xue1; Min Ding2; Chi He3; and Jie Li4

Abstract: The combined effects of creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation of prestressing tendons cause gradual changes in the
internal forces and deflections of composite beams. However, most of the research work conducted on prestressed steel–concrete com-
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posite beams has focused on short-term behavior; research findings on the long-term behavior are scarce in the literature. For the
wide-scale use of prestressed composite beams in civil engineering applications, the long-term behavior must be investigated. This paper
presents an experimental program designed to examine the long-term behavior of prestressed composite beams under sustained load
conditions for one year. The test program consisted of two prestressed composite beams and one nonprestressed composite beam. On the
basis of the age-adjusted effective modulus method and energy principle, the creep stiffness matrix and the creep force matrix of
prestressed composite beams were developed. A time-dependent analytical model is presented to predict the long-term behavior of
prestressed composite beams. Close agreement is observed between the analytical and experimental results. It is proposed that the
Multiplier 3.1 of the instantaneous deflection be used to calculate the deflection of prestressed composite beams for one year.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲0733-9445共2008兲134:6共930兲
CE Database subject headings: Composite beams; Steel; Concrete; Time dependence; Prestressing; Creep; Shrinkage.

Introduction bridge engineering, large-span building structures, rail transit, and

Nonprestressed steel–concrete composite beams are a popular and
economical form of construction in both buildings and bridges. In
a composite beam the steel section is connected to the concrete
slab using shear connectors so that they act compositely. This
structural arrangement results in an efficient lightweight beam
with a high load-carrying capacity. But there are also some prob-
lems in composite beams, such as there being too large a deflec-
tion at midspan. In addition, in the negative bending region, the
slab is in tension and may crack at service loads. The slab is,
therefore, far less beneficial, since its contribution to the strength
and stiffness of the composite section largely disappears when the
concrete cracks.
Composite beams prestressed with external tendons can over-
come the above and at the same time offer several major advan-
tages, such as elastic behavior under heavier loads, increased
ultimate capacity, and improved fatigue and fracture behavior.
Externally prestressed composite beams are mainly employed in
1
Professor, Dept. of Building Engineering, Tongji Univ., Shanghai,
China 200092 共corresponding author兲. E-mail: xuewc@mail.
tongji.edu.cn
2 Bradford and Gilbert 1989兲. To validate the analytical model, four
Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Building Engineering, Tongji Univ.,
Shanghai, China 200092. E-mail: dingmin2005@gmail.com
3
Student, Dept. of Building Engineering, Tongji Univ., Shanghai,
China 200092. E-mail: hechi@163.com
4
Professor, Dept. of Building Engineering, Tongji Univ., Shanghai,
China 200092. E-mail: lijie@mail.tongji.edu.cn
Note. Associate Editor: Yahya C. Kurama. Discussion open until
November 1, 2008. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual
papers. To extend the closing date by one month, a written request must
be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper
was submitted for review and possible publication on May 21, 2007;
approved on October 8, 2007. This paper is part of the Journal of Struc-
tural Engineering, Vol. 134, No. 6, June 1, 2008. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-
9445/2008/6-930–937/$25.00.
strengthening existing structures.
Prestressed composite beams, like all other structural mem-
bers, must be designed to satisfy the requirements of both the
strength and serviceability limit states. Design for adequate flex-
ural strength is relatively straightforward, with plastification in
positive bending and buckling in negative bending generally gov-
erning the ultimate strength of individual cross sections. The de-
sign for serviceability, however, is not as straightforward, since
the prediction of behavior under sustained service loads is com-
plicated by time-dependent deformations in the composite beams
due to creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation of pre-
stressing tendons. At the present time, a large number of research
studies on prestressed composite beams have focused on short-
term behavior 共Szilard 1959; Hoadley 1963; Reagen and Krahl
1967; Saadatmanesh et al. 1989a,b; Dezi 1994; Dall’Asta and
Dezi 1998; Chen 2005; Lorenc and Kubica 2006兲, whereas there
are few researches published on the long-term behavior of exter-
nally prestressed composite beams.
A serviceability analysis of simply supported nonprestressed
composite beams that included the effects of creep and shrinkage
in the concrete slab was presented previously 共Gilbert 1988;
simply supported composite beams were tested 共Bradford and
Gilbert 1991兲. The analytical and experimental research program
at the University of New South Wales 共Sydney, Australia兲 has
been extended to study the long-term behavior of statically inde-
terminate composite beams. A second series of long-term tests
was undertaken on two-span continuous composite beams sub-
jected to sustained uniformly distributed load on both spans over
a period of 340 days 共Gilbert and Bradford 1991; Gilbert and
Bradford 1995兲. An analysis for simply supported and continuous
composite beams was performed by taking into account the
shrinkage only and then the simultaneous creep effects. A generic
modeling for the time-dependent analysis of composite beams

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Fig. 1. Overall geometry and reinforcement layout of composite beams

with partial shear interaction that occurs due to the deformation of stressed composite beams, designated PC-1 and PC-2, and the
the shear connection was presented 共Ranzi and Bradford 2006兲. other was a nonprestressed composite beam, designated RC. All
A simplified time-dependent analysis for continuous compos- specimens had the same cross sections, as shown in Fig. 1. Shear
ite beams with flexible shear connection, subjected to static ac- studs were welded to the top flange of the steel beam, spacing
tions, settlements of the supports, shrinkage, and prestressing of 100 mm for PC-1 and 150 mm for PC-2 along the center line of
the concrete slab, was proposed 共Dezi et al. 1995, 1996兲. A time- the beam. Fig. 1 shows the overall geometry and cross section of
dependent analysis program was developed to investigate long- the beams. Here, the units are mm.
term behavior of composite bridges with prestressed composite
slabs 共Wang et al. 1998兲. The program presented the effect of
Material Properties
concrete creep and shrinkage using layered subdivision of each
element, prestressing tendons, structure transformation, effects of The concrete mix proportions are shown in Table 1. Steel wires of
construction loading, and concrete age of each part. high tensile strength with low relaxation 共the relaxation rate is not
This paper focuses on the long-term behavior of externally larger than 2.5%兲 were used as the prestressing tendons. The me-
prestressed composite beams at service loads, as affected by time chanical properties of the concrete, bars, steel beams, and studs
effects, such as creep and shrinkage of concrete slabs and relax- are listed in Tables 2 and 3.
ation of prestressing tendons. This paper describes an experimen-
tal program with three composite beams subjected to sustained Test Loading
uniformly distributed loads. Deflections and prestressing tendon
strains at midspan were monitored for one year. A time-dependent The initial jacking stress was 70% of the ultimate tensile strength
analytical method is proposed to investigate the long-term behav- of the prestressing tendons. The composite beams were only sub-
ior of composite beams, referred to as the general method of time
analysis, where the time-dependent behavior of the concrete is
modeled using algebraic methods, such as the age-adjusted effec- Table 1. Mix Proportions of Bonding Agents
tive modulus method 共AEMM兲. The calculated and measured re-
sponses of these beams were in close agreement, with final long- Fine Coarse
term deflections being several times the short-term values. Water Cement aggregate aggregate
共kg/ m3兲 共kg/ m3兲 共kg/ m3兲 共kg/ m3兲
190.8 477 612 1,135
Experimental Program
Table 2. Mechanical Properties of Concrete
Specimens Elastic Prism compressive Cube compressive
modulus Ec strength f c strength f cu
Three simply supported steel–concrete composite beams were 共GPa兲 共MPa兲 共MPa兲
tested in a scale of 1:5 to simulate the composite beams in a
30.6 27.1 35.5
practical building structure. Two of them were externally pre-

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J. Struct. Eng. 2008.134:930-937.

 Table 3. Mechanical Properties of Steel
Prestressing Steel
Batch Bar tendon beam Stud
Normal diameter 共mm兲 6 5 — 16
Yield strength 共MPa兲 371 — 301 400
Ultimate tensile strength 共MPa兲 498 1824 444 444
Elastic modulus 共GPa兲 211 189 190 —
Ultimate elongation 共%兲 22 13 28 17

jected to their own weight before prestressing to simulate the

stresses in the applications. The prestressed composite beams Fig. 3. Comparison of long-term vertical midspan deflection of
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were then subjected to sustained uniformly distributed loads at beams

room temperature for about one year. The loads were applied by
plain concrete blocks mounted on the composite beams 共as illus-
trated in Fig. 2兲.
Instrumentation
During the loads testing, the vertical deflections of the beams at
midspan were measured with mechanical dial gauges 共with an
accuracy of 0.01 mm兲 mounted on immobilized stands. The strain
gauges on the prestressing tendons, steel beams, and concrete
slabs were monitored to measure the prestressing tendon strains,
strains of steel beams, and concrete slabs. In addition, slips be-
tween steel beams and concrete slabs were measured with me-
chanical dial gauges 共with an accuracy of 0.001 mm兲.
Experimental Results
Long-Term Deflection Behavior
Fig. 3 presents the long-term vertical midspan deflection of the
composite beams. The general trend is a high rate of increase of
deflection for the early period after loading followed by a more
gradual rate of increase of deflection. This behavior was exhibited
by all beams, irrespective of prestressing tendons or distance of
studs.
The externally prestressed composite beams had a higher ratio
of long-term-to-instantaneous deflection of 3.1, whereas the non-
prestressed composite beam had a lower ratio of 2.0. In general,
the ratio of long-term-to-instantaneous deflection of prestressed
composite beams depended on the spacing of studs, with the ratio
increasing as the spacing increased.
Long-Term Prestressing Tendon Strain
Fig. 4 presents the long-term change in the prestressing tendon
strain of prestressed composite beams. As shown in Fig. 4, the
prestressing tendon strains progressively decreased with time. The
two prestressed composite beams exhibited a similar change in
prestressing tendon strains. After anchorage, the instantaneous
prestressing tendon strains were 5106 ␮␧ for PC-1 and 5255 ␮␧
for PC-2. After 360 days, strains of prestressing tendons for PC-1
were 763 ␮␧ lower than those of the instantaneous values and
that for PC-2 were 722 ␮␧. The reduction was about 15%. The
reduction of prestressing tendon strains at 24 h after prestressing
occupied about 20% of the total strain reduction; that on 90 days
accounted for about 34%, 65% on 180 days, and 88% on
270 days.
In conclusion, after prestressing the decrease ratio of prestress-
ing tendon strains was higher for the early period, and it became
lower with time.

Long-Term Steel Beam Strain

Fig. 5 presents the long-term change in the bottom flange strain at
midspan of the three composite beams. As shown in Fig. 5, after

Fig. 2. Test loading Fig. 4. Comparison of long-term prestressing tendon strain

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 Fig. 5. Comparison of long-term steel beam strain
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anchorage and loading, the instantaneous bottom flange strains of
PC-1, PC-2, and RC, were 344, 297, and 318 ␮␧, respectively.
After 180 days, the strains were 393, 427, and 366 ␮␧, which
were about 15% higher than the instantaneous values. Then, the
strain reached its maximum value after 200 days, and following
that it reduced. 360 days after, it became 345, 295, and 252 ␮␧.
This was probably caused by the surrounding temperature.
In general, trends of bottom flange strains of the prestressed
composite beams were close to that of the nonprestressed com-
posite beam.
Long-Term Concrete Slab Strain
Fig. 6 presents the long-term change in the concrete slab strain at
midspan of the three composite beams. As shown in Fig. 6, after
anchorage and loading, the instantaneous concrete slab stains of
PC-1, PC-2, and RC were −260, −260, and −156 ␮␧, respec-
tively. After 180 days, the strains got to −92, 64, and 88 ␮␧,
which increased to 168, 324, and 305 ␮␧, respectively. Then, the
strains reduced. After 360 days, the strains got to −294, −104, and
−94 ␮␧, which were 202, 168, and 243 ␮␧ lower than that after
180 days.
Long-Term Slip at the Slab–Steel Interface
As jacking stress got to 45% of the ultimate tensile strength, slips
occurred at the slab–steel interface. The maximum value could
reach to 0.05 mm. Comparatively, the slips depended on the stud
distance, with lower slip values as the stud distance decreased.
During the monitoring period of 360 days, the slips remained,
Fig. 6. Comparison of long-term concrete slab strain
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J. Struct. Eng. 2008.134:930-937.
Fig. 7. Discretization of composite beams used in layered finite-
element analysis
more or less, unchanged, which is in accordance with the experi-
mental results monitored by Bradford and Gilbert 共Bradford and
Gilbert 1991兲.
In the nonprestressed composite beam, there was no slip at
slab–steel interface during the period of one year’s sustained
loading.
Time-Dependent Analysis
Programming Scheme
The program was developed on the basis of a finite-element step-
by-step method to predict the long-term behavior of prestressed
composite beams. The long-term factors, such as concrete creep,
shrinkage, and relaxation of prestressing tendons are considered
in the program.
On one hand, the composite beam was discretized into several
elements, and the midcross section was selected out for analysis.
The cross section was subdivided into about 20 layers according
to concrete, steel beam, rebar, and prestressing tendon 共see Fig.
7兲. The number of elements and layers depends on the calculation
accuracy required. On the other hand, the method also required
discretization in time, with subdivision of the creep process into
several intervals. Within each time interval, the increments of
nodal displacements and forces due to creep were calculated and
added to the initial values to get the nodal displacements and
forces at the end of the interval or the start of the next one. The
integrals of internal forces and displacements at each service
stage were approximated by means of the trapezoidal rule.
The discretization of composite beams used in the layered
finite-element analysis is shown in Fig. 7. The composite cross
section was divided into five concrete layers, 14 steel beam lay-
ers, one prestressing tendon layer, and two rebar layers.
Assumptions
The calculation here is based on the following assumptions:
1. Concrete stress is not larger than 50% of the limited strength.
And within this range, the creep strain–stress relationship
remains linear. It is allowable to superpose strains.
2. Slip at the slab–beam interface, between the concrete and
any embedded reinforcement, is negligible at service loads.
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Fig. 8. Equivalent linear strain

3. Plane sections remain plane; i.e., the strain distribution on

any section at any time is linear. 冕 N *
⌬␧ dA =
A0 0
冕 冉 冊 冕 冉 冊
N
A0
y
␧c − dA +
␳
N Es
A0 Ec
y
␧c − dA
␳

冋冕 冕 册
A1 A1 A2

Equivalent Creep Load N

= ␧c dA + n0dA
A0

冋冕 冕 册
A1 A2
Creep is calculated on the basis of the AAEM method. Here, the
elastic modular ratio of a steel beam to concrete n is N1
− ydA + n0ydA 共2兲
A0 ␳ A1 A2
Es Es where n0 = 共Es / Ec兲; ␧c = strain at the gravity center of the cross
n= = 关1 + ␹␸共t,␶兲兴 = n0关1 + ␹␸共t,␶兲兴 共1兲
E␸ Ec section; and 共1 / ␳兲 = curvature. If C represents the gravity center
of the transformed section, then

Due to the time-dependent n, Geometrical properties of the trans-

formed section are time dependent. Ec, E␸, and ␸共t , ␶兲
冕A1
ydA + 冕A2
n0ydA = 0 共3兲
= functions of layer locations in the composite cross section and

冕 冕
are substituted by E*, E*␸, and ␸*共t , ␶兲, respectively. The asterisk
means being related to the position of layer in the cross section dA + n0dA = A0 共4兲
and has properties as shown in the following: A1 A2

• In the concrete slab: E* = Ec; with Eqs. 共3兲 and 共4兲, Eq. 共2兲 becomes
• In the steel beam: E* = Es;
• In the concrete slab: E*␸ = Ec␸; 兰A1⌬␧*0 dA
␧c = 共5兲
• In the steel beam: E*␸ = Es; A0
• In the concrete slab: ␸*共t , ␶兲 = ␸共t , ␶兲; and
• In the steel beam: ␸*共t , ␶兲 = 0. In a similar way, according to the equivalent principle of vir-
tual work of bending stress, work done by stress, as shown in Fig.
Equivalent nodal loads refer to the node loads induced by
8共e兲, with strain in Fig. 8共b兲 is equal to the stress with strain in
initial strain ⌬␧*0 . As shown in Fig. 8共b兲, ⌬␧*0 is nonlinear on the
Fig. 8共c兲, and it can be expressed as
cross section and it is inconvenient to get the displacement 兵␦0其
directly, because it only exists at the section of the concrete por-
tion and does not exist at the section of the steel portion. Gener-
ally, the nonlinear ⌬␧*0 is converted into a linear one 关see Fig.
冕 My *
I0
⌬␧0 dA = 冕 冉 冊 冕 My
I0
y
␧c − dA +
␳
n0
My
I0
冉 冊
y
␧c − dA
␳

冋冕 冕 册
A1 A1 A2

8共c兲兴 on the basis of the equivalent principle of virtual work to M

calculate 兵␦0其 and 兵F0其. = ␧c ydA + n0ydA
I0

冋冕 冕 册
Equivalent linear strain is calculated first. Fig. 8共a兲 presents A1 A2

the composite cross section at time ␶0; Fig. 8共b兲 presents the M1
initial strain of concrete; Fig. 8共c兲 presents the equivalent linear − y 2dA + n0y 2dA 共6兲
strain; Fig. 8共d兲 shows stress distribution on the cross section I0 ␳ A1 A2

induced by axial force N; and Fig. 8共e兲 shows stress distribution If C represents the gravity center of the transformed section, then
induced by moment M.
According to the equivalent principle of virtual work of axial
stress, work done by stress, as shown in Fig. 8共d兲, with strain in 冕 A1
y 2dA + 冕 A2
n0y 2dA = I0 共7兲
Fig. 8共b兲 is equal to the stress with strain in Fig. 8共c兲, and it can
be expressed as with Eq. 共7兲, Eq. 共6兲 becomes

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J. Struct. Eng. 2008.134:930-937.

 1 兰A1y⌬␧*0 dA
=− 共8兲
␳ I0
The stress and strain relationship of concrete is given by

⌬␴
⌬␧ = ⌬␧*0 + 共9兲
E*␸

n−1
␴
⌬␧*0 = 兺 j

j=0 Ec
关␸*共tn,t j兲 − ␸*共tn−1,t j兲兴

n−2
⌬␴t共t j+1,t j兲
兺
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+ 关␹1␸*共tn,t j兲 − ␹2␸*共tn−1,t j兲兴 共10兲 Fig. 9. Equivalent secondary creep internal force of composite cross
j=0 Ec
section
where ⌬␧ and ⌬␴ = strain and stress increments of concrete,
respectively.
By substituting the formula of ⌬␧*0 into Eqs. 共5兲 and 共8兲, the
Nbt M bt
following expressions are obtained: ⌬␴bt = − y⬘ 共13兲

冕 再兺
A1 I1
n−1
1 ␴bj And that in steel beams is given by
␧c = 关␸*共tn,t j兲 − ␸*共tn−1,t j兲兴
A0 Ec

冎
A1 j=0
n−2 Nst M st
⌬␴bt共t j+1,t j兲 ⌬␴st = − y⬙ 共14兲
+ 兺
j=0 Ec
关␹1␸*共tn,t j兲 − ␹2␸*共tn−1,t j兲兴 dA 共11兲 A2 I2

where y ⬘, y ⬙ = distance from their own axis, respectively.

1
␳
=−
1
I0
冕 y 再 n−1

兺
␴
bj

j=0 Ec
关␸*共tn,t j兲 − ␸*共tn−1,t j兲兴
The stress redistribution on the composite cross section can be
calculated from Eqs. 共13兲 and 共14兲 and added to the elastic stress
to get the stress after creep.

冎
A1
n−2
⌬␴bt共t j+1,t j兲
+ 兺
j=0 Ec
关␹1␸*共tn,t j兲 − ␹2␸*共tn−1,t j兲兴 dA 共12兲
where ␴bj = elastic stress increment on the concrete cross section
induced by a new load at the start of time interval 关ti , t j+1兴;
⌬␴bt共t j+1 , t j兲 = stress increment on the concrete cross section in-
duced by creep at time interval 关ti , t j+1兴.
After the calculation of ␧c and 共1 / ␳兲, 兵␦0其, nodal displace-
ments at the two ends of the element, can be obtained using the
principle of virtual work. At last, the creep equivalent nodal
forces, fixed end forces induced by initial creep strain, can be
calculated from the equation 兵F0其 = 兵Kt其兵␦0其.
Redistribution of Internal Force on the Composite
Cross Section Induced by Creep
After the calculation of total secondary creep internal forces for
the composite cross-section members, the stress redistribution in
them induced by secondary creep internal forces must be calcu-
lated.
Nt, M t, the secondary creep internal forces at time interval
n 关tn−1, tn兴 on the composite cross section, have been worked out.
Fig. 9共a兲 represents secondary creep internal forces of the com-
posite cross section at interval n, applying on the gravity center of
the transformed cross section; the equivalent secondary creep in-
ternal forces of the concrete slab and steel beam at interval n are
applied on the gravity center, respectively, as shown in Fig. 9共b兲.
Then Nbt, M bt, Nst, are M st are calculated satisfying the require-
ments of equilibrium and compatibility.
As a result, the stress increment in concrete slabs induced by
creep during interval n is given by
Time-Dependent Analysis Procedure
A time-dependent analytical program was proposed to predict the
long-term behavior of prestressed composite beams. And the pro-
cedure is shown in Fig. 10.
Comparisons between Computed and Measured
Values
The three composite beams were computed by the time-
dependent analysis procedure and the creep coefficients in the
ACI 共CEB-FIP 1978 and CEB-FIP 1990兲 were used. The com-
parisons of computed values and measured results of deflections
for the three composite beams are shown in Fig. 11.
As shown in Fig. 11, computed values and measured results
are in reasonable agreement for the two prestressed composite
beams and nonprestressed composite beam. The computed values
according to CEB-FIP 1990 are larger than the measured values
for the three composite beams. For RC, the computed values ac-
cording to ACI are best match with the measured values.
Design Proposals on Long-Term Deflection
According to ANSI/AISC 360-05 共AISC 2005兲, there is no direct
guidance in the computation of the long-term deflections of com-
posite beams due to creep and shrinkage.
In EC.4 共CEN 1994兲, it reduces the bending stiffness to calcu-
late the long-term vertical deflections of composite beams. The
effects of creep may be taken into account by using modular
ratios nL for the concrete. The modular ratios depending on the
type of loading are given by

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Fig. 10. Flow chart of time-dependent analysis
nL = n0共1 + ␺L␸t兲 共15兲
where n0 = Es / Ecm; Es = value of elastic modulus of the steel beam;
Ecm = value of the secant modulus of elasticity of the concrete
共short-term兲; ␸t = creep coefficient at time t; and ␺L = creep multi-
plier depending on the type of loading, which is taken as 1.1 for
permanent loads, 0.55 for primary and secondary effects of
shrinkage, and 1.5 for prestressing by imposed deformations.
As provided in the Chinese Code for design of steel structures
共GB50017-2003兲, the long-term vertical deflections of composite
beams are obtained by using 2n0 as the elastic modular ratio of
steel beam to concrete slab.
From the analysis for the three specimens, two points can be
obtained as follows:
1. In terms of EC 4, prestressed composite beams and nonpre-
stressed composite beams have ratios of long-term-to-
instantaneous deflections of 1.5 and 1.4 for one year.
2. According to the Chinese Code GB50017-2003, prestressed
composite beams and nonprestressed composite beams have
ratios of long-term-to-instantaneous deflection of 1.3 and 1.2
for one year.
3. According to the experimental results, prestressed composite
beams and nonprestressed composite beams have ratios of
long-term to instantaneous deflections of 3.1 and 2.0 for one
year. Obviously, the calculated results in terms of EC 4 and
Chinese code GB50017-2003 are less safe. Here, it is pro-
posed to obtain the long-term vertical deflections for one
year of nonprestressed composite beams by using 2.0 as the
multiplier of instantaneous deflection, and 3.1 for prestressed
composite beams.
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J. Struct. Eng. 2008.134:930-937.
Fig. 11. Comparison of analytical and experimental results
Conclusion
The experimental results of a test program designed to investigate
the long-term behavior of prestressed composite beams have been
presented and compared with the results from an analytical time-
dependent computer model.
Based on the results of this investigation, the following con-
clusions can be drawn:
1. The prestressed composite beams show a high rate of in-
crease of deflection for the early period after loading fol-
lowed by a more gradual rate of increase of deflection.
2. The ratio of long-term-to-instantaneous deflections of pre-
stressed composite beams was found to increase with the
stud distance increasing.
3. The strains in the prestressing tendons decreased with time
progressively with similar trends for the two prestressed
composite beams with different stud distances.
4. No slip occurred at the slab–steel interface during the sus-
tained loading period on the composite beams.
5. It is proposed that the ratios of deflections for one year to
instantaneous deflections for nonprestressed composite
beams and prestressed composite beams are 2.0 and 3.1, re-
spectively.
6. The time-dependent analytical method proposed to predict
the long-term behavior of prestressed composite beams, sat-
isfying the requirement equilibrium and compatibility, gave
calculated results that have a good match with the test
results.
Acknowledgments
Support for this research by the Shanghai Development Founda-
tion of Science and Technology under Grant No. 992012044 and
the “Shu Guang” project supported by the Shanghai Municipal
Education Commission and Shanghai Education Development
Foundation No. 04SG24.
 Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
A1 ⫽ area of concrete slab 共mm2兲;
A2 ⫽ area of steel beam 共mm2兲;
A0 ⫽ area of transformed composite cross-section
at time ␶0 共mm2兲;
AcL ⫽ transformed area of concrete slab 共mm2兲;
Ec ⫽ elastic modulus of concrete 共GPa兲;
Es ⫽ elastic modulus of steel beam 共MPa兲;
Ec ⫽ elastic modulus of concrete 共MPa兲;
Ecm ⫽ value of the secant modulus of concrete
共MPa兲;
E␸ ⫽ age-adjusted elastic modulus of concrete
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by New York University on 05/15/15. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
共MPa兲;
f cu ⫽ concrete cubic compressive strength,
100 mm⫻ 100 mm⫻ 100 mm 共MPa兲;
f c ⫽ prismy compressive strength,
100 mm⫻ 100 mm⫻ 300 mm 共MPa兲;
兵F0其 ⫽ equivalent creep forces of node;
I0 ⫽ inertia moment of transformed composite
cross section at time ␶0 共mm4兲;
I1 ⫽ inertia moment of concrete slab 共mm4兲;
I2 ⫽ inertia moment of steel beam 共mm4兲;
IcL ⫽ transformed inertia moment of concrete slab
共mm4兲;
兵Kt其 ⫽ creep stiffness matrix;
M ⫽ bending moment applied on the cross section
共N m兲;
M t ⫽ equivalent bending moment due to creep
共N m兲;
M bt ⫽ equivalent bending moment on concrete slab
due to creep 共N m兲;
M st ⫽ equivalent bending moment on steel beam
due to creep 共N m兲;
N ⫽ axial force applied on the cross section, 共N兲;
Nt ⫽ axial force due to creep 共N兲;
Nbt ⫽ equivalent axial force on concrete slab due to
creep 共N兲;
Nst ⫽ equivalent axial force on steel beam due to
creep 共N兲;
n ⫽ age-adjusted elastic modular ratio of steel
beam to concrete;
n0 ⫽ modular ratio of steel beam to concrete;
y ⫽ distance from the center axis of transformed
composite cross section 共mm兲;
y ⬘ ⫽ distance from the concrete axis 共mm兲;
y ⬙ ⫽ distance from the steel beam axis 共mm兲;
␸ ⫽ creep coefficient;
␧c ⫽ strain at the center axis of the cross section;
⌬␧*0 ⫽ initial strain on the composite cross section;
␴bj ⫽ elastic stress increment on the concrete
cross-section induced by new load at the start of
time interval 关ti , t j+1兴 共MPa兲;
⌬␴bt共t j+1 , t j兲 ⫽ stress increment on the concrete cross-section
induced by creep at time interval 关ti , t j+1兴
共MPa兲;
⌬␴bt ⫽ stress increments in concrete slabs induced by
creep during the interval n 共MPa兲;
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / JUNE 2008 / 937
J. Struct. Eng. 2008.134:930-937.
⌬␴st ⫽ stress increments in steel beams induced by
creep during the interval n 共MPa兲;
兵␦0其 ⫽ creep displacements of nodes;
1 / ␳ ⫽ curvature;
␹ ⫽ relaxation coefficient;
␹1 ⫽ relaxation coefficient at time tn; and
␹2 ⫽ relaxation coefficient tn−1;
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