Creep Effects in Composite Beams with Flexible Shear Connectors

Abstract

This paper presents a method for the viscoelastic analysis of composite steel‐concrete beams with flexible shear connectors. In particular, the proposed method evaluates the effects of the connection device's deformability on the migration of the stresses from the concrete slab to the steel beam, which occurs with time as a result of creep and shrinkage of the concrete part. The mathematical formulation of this problem involves the equations of equilibrium, compatibility, and constitutive relationships, i.e., an elastic law for the steel part and an integral‐type creep law for the concrete part. Thus, the problem is governed by a coupled system of three equations, of which two are integral‐differential‐type equations. This system of equations is resolved by numerical step‐by‐step techniques. Finally, a numerical analysis is applied to show the influence of the main parameters.