Flexural behavior of prestressed sandwich plate system composite beams

Abstract

In this paper, research on the flexural behavior of prestressed composite beams with sandwich floor panels, rather than concrete slabs, is presented. The sandwich plate system (SPS) consisting of top and bottom steel faceplates with a high-density polyurethane core between the faceplates was used for the floor panels in this study. Full-scale experiments were conducted to investigate the flexural performance of prestressed SPS composite beams (PSCBs). The test results demonstrate that the PSCB specimen exhibited excellent ductile behavior after yielding, with ductility ratio as high as 12.6. The failure mode at the ultimate limit state was fracture of the installed steel strands, and the ultimate load was increased by 14% due to the strengthening effect of the steel strands. Transfer of forces between an SPS floor panel and steel beam was accomplished through bolted connections, and the specimen behaved well as fully composite beams. A theoretical method for estimating the flexural strength and stiffness of PSCBs is established, and a finite element model capable of predicting the flexural behavior of PSCBs is also proposed.