Experimental and theoretical research on mechanical behavior of innovative composite beams

The web-encased steel-concrete composite (WESCC) beam is a new developed steel-concrete composite beam. Experiments of six simply supported WESCC beam specimens were conducted. The effects of the shear-span ratio and steel section type were all investigated on the static behaviors such as failure modes, failure mechanism and bearing capacity. The experimental results denoted that all specimens failed in bending mode and the degree of combination between the bottom armor plate of steel shape and concrete were very well without any evident slippage, which demonstrated that the function of bottom armor plate and web were fully exerted in the WESCC beams. It could be concluded the WESCC beams have high stiffness, high load carrying capacity and advanced ductility. The design methods are proposed which mainly consist the bearing capacity calculation of bending and flexural rigidity. The calculation results of the bearing capacity and deflection which take the shear deflection into account are in agreement with the experimental results. The design methods are useful for design and application of the innovative composite beams.