Tests of Curved Steel-Concrete Composite Beams

Four curved composite beams, each consisting of a steel beam with a reinforced concrete slab, were fabricated and tested. The tests were limited to single girders on a simple span. The concrete slab was attached to the top flange of the steel girders using 1/2-in. (12.7 mm) diam stud shear connectors. The main variables in the test program were the girder size, radius of curvature, loading, and the number of connectors at a section. All four beams were loaded to failure and the vertical deflection, strain, rotation, and slip (between the steel and concrete) were recorded at several locations along the length of the span. Two of the beams failed in torsion near the supports and two failed in combined bending and torsion near midspan. Observations concerning the agreement between theory and experiment are presented for the loads causing failure, and stresses and deflections at one-half the failure loads. The significance of the test results regarding the design of the shear connection is examined and a simplified method of design of headed shear connectors is presented.