Parametric study of curved in plan composite beams using 3D finite element approach
There are situations in which a composite steel-concrete beam is subjected to torsion, such as members that are curved in plan or straight edge beams. The concrete slab and steel beam contribute to the torsional strength and stiffness of a composite steel-concrete beam, but this composite action is usually ignored in design codes of practice, which leads to conservative designs or in some cases premature failure. Therefore, this paper investigates 3-dimensional finite element modelling of curved in plan steel-concrete composite beams. This model has been validated by previous experimental tests. It was used to simulate the structural behaviour and study the characteristic properties of the curved in plan composite beams such as moment-curvature and torsion- twist behaviours. Parametric studies were carried out with several beams’ variation such as the size of beam, the length of the beam, stud spacing, and different horizontal curvatures of beam. Through the parametric studies, the structural behaviours of the curved in plan composite beams have been plotted and recommendations have been provided for future design consideration. From the bending-torsion interaction diagrams, the structural strength of the curved in plan composite beams actually weaken as higher horizontal curvature is introduced to the beams. The size and number of shear stud used for higher span beam are important as premature failure occurs when beam length increases.