Shear resistance of steel–concrete–steel deep beams with bidirectional webs

Steel–concrete–steel composite structures with bidirectional webs (SCSBWs) are used in large-scale projects and exhibit good mechanical performances and constructional efficiency. The shear behaviors of SCSBW deep beam members in key joints or in locations subjected to concentrated forces are of concern in design. To address this issue, experimental program is investigated to examine the deep-beam shear behaviors of SCSBWs, in which the cracking process and force transfer mechanism are revealed. Compared with the previously proposed truss model, it is found that a strut-and-tie model is more suitable for describing the shear mechanism of SCSBW deep beams with a short span and sparse transverse webs. According to the experimental analyses, a new model is proposed to predict the shear capacities of SCSBW deep beams. This model uses strut-and-tie concept and introduces web shear and dowel action to consider the coupled multi mechanisms. A stress decomposition method is used to distinguish the contributions of different shear-transferring paths. Based on case studies, a simplified model is further developed, and the explicit solution is derived for design efficiency. The proposed models are verified using experimental data, which are proven to have good accuracy and efficiency and to be suitable for practical application.