Ultimate strength of continuous composite beams in combined bending and shear

The contributions of the concrete slab and composite action to the vertical shear strength of continuous steel–concrete composite beams are ignored in current design codes, which result in conservative designs. This paper investigates the ultimate strength of continuous composite beams in combined bending and shear by using the finite element analysis method. A three-dimensional finite element model has been developed to account for the geometric and material nonlinear behaviour of continuous composite beams. The finite element model is verified by experimental results and then used to study the effects of the concrete slab and shear connection on the vertical shear strength. The moment–shear interaction strength of continuous composite beams is also investigated by varying the moment/shear ratio. It is shown that the concrete slab and composite action significantly increase the ultimate strength of continuous composite beams. Based on numerical results, design models are proposed for the vertical shear strength and moment–shear interaction of continuous composite beams. The proposed design models, which incorporates the effects of the concrete slab, composite action, stud pullout failure and web shear buckling, are compared with experimental results with good agreement