Behaviour of Steel-Concrete-Steel Sandwich Beams with Novel Enhanced C-Channels.

What is it about?

As the load increases, most composite beams generally experience failure in both shear and flexural behavior. This outcome highlights the critical challenges of achieving sufficient strength and structural integrity in such beams. The proposed study has used the cold-formed behavior of an Enhanced C-channel (EC) shear connectors and Light Weight Concrete (LWC) to examine the new Steel-Lightweight Concrete-Steel sandwich Beams (SLCSB). The ECs have provided significant shear resistance at the faceplate-LWC interfacial interface and the tension separation resistance for faceplates (cold form steel) from the LWC core. Cold Form Steel (CFS) is the most often used substitute because of its high productivity and practicality in the field. Four different composite beams are examined in the proposed research with different ECs spacing. The beams’ top and bottom face plates are covered using CFS (1.6 mm). In addition to that, two different types of shear connectors are used. Two unique longitudinal spacing of 100 mm and 150 mm are also used for one with lipped ECs and without lipped ECs. Importantly, self-tapping screws are used to secure ECs in place between the top and bottom of the face plates. The effectiveness of the composite beams with various shear connector spacing subjected to a two-point load test is assessed through a series of experiments.

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Why is it important?

Composite beams, consisting of steel faceplates and a lightweight concrete core, offer significant structural performance and construction efficiency advantages. These beams have gained popularity in various applications, including building construction, bridge design, and industrial structures. However, achieving adequate shear and tensile behavior in composite beams remains challenging. This literature review provides an overview of relevant studies on composite beam behavior, cold-formed steel, lightweight concrete, and shear connectors, highlighting the existing knowledge gaps and limitations. An SCS (Steel-Concrete-Steel) sandwich structure is created by sandwiching a steel core between two steel plates. Steel plates, concrete web, and mechanical shear connections are joined to create the composite action of the SCS sandwich beam. Candidates for this type of construction include a variety of offshore and onshore structures, such as oil production platforms, storage vessels, hulls, caissons, shear walls, and bridge decks [1,2,3,4]. Due to the panels’ ability to create an airtight seal, SCS sandwich walls are especially well-liked as protective layers in nuclear buildings. Concrete pieces would not break off in the workplace under heavy loads that damage the concrete core, reducing the likelihood of radioactive leakage [5,6]. The SCS sandwich beam has recently been explored as a floating ice load-resistant wall for the outer shell of Arctic coastal constructions.

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