Flexural and shear behavior of bolt-connected U-shaped steel beams filled with concrete

Thin-walled concrete-filled U-shaped steel beams have been recently used in building structures for shortening the construction period and cost efficiency of structural members. In this study, the flexural and shear behavior of newly developed bolt-connected U-shaped steel beams filled with concrete was experimentally evaluated considering load conditions for positive and negative moments, and types of U-shaped steel sections. Because the cross sections are not symmetrical about a horizontal axis, compressive buckling of bottom plates was observed along with web shear buckling under negative moment loading, while the slab concrete under compression was crushed under a positive moment loading. Despite such different shear failure modes depending on load conditions, the shear strength of the composite beams can be conservatively predicted using AISC 360-16 and Eurocode 4. Although the shear contribution of filled concrete is neglected according to the current design codes, the shear capacity of the steel web considering the shear buckling coefficient corresponding to the web width-to-thickness ratio reasonably predicts the test results. In addition, for deep composite beams, the longitudinal lips of a U-shaped steel section anchored into filled concrete can improve the interfacial bond between steel and concrete, thereby enhancing the shear contribution of the steel web.