Effect of reinforcement on the response of continuous steel-concrete composite beams

This paper presents a comprehensive assessment on inelastic behavior of continuous steel-concrete composite (SCC) beams, focusing on the effect of reinforcement in slab. A finite element model is formulated and verified against laboratory tests. Numerical assessment is conducted on two-span SCC beams with various reinforcement types and areas. The results indicate that using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforcement is more effective in reducing the crack width in concrete slab over the center support than using glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) or steel reinforcement. The reinforcement hardly influences the ultimate response at midspan but markedly affects that at the center support. The ultimate load of SCC beams with steel reinforcement is close to that with CFRP reinforcement while higher than that with GFRP reinforcement. At ultimate, CFRP reinforcement leads to greater support moment but substantially lower moment redistribution while GFRP reinforcement results in lower moment but comparable moment redistribution, when compared to steel reinforcement.