Experimental study on curved composite beams subjected to combined flexure and torsion

There are situations in which a composite steel–concrete beam is subjected to torsion, such as members that are curved in plan or straight edge beams. The concrete slab and steel beam contribute to the torsional strength and stiffness of a composite steel–concrete beam, but this composite action is usually ignored in design codes of practice, which leads to conservative designs. Therefore, this paper investigates the ultimate strength of curved in place composite steel–concrete beams. Eight curved in plan composite steel–concrete beams have been tested under a single applied load at mid-span. Partial shear connection has also been considered in these tests. The composite steel–concrete beams have been designed with different span/radius of curvature ratios. This paper further supports the view that, in the presence of flexure, there will be an increase in the torsional moment capacity, but the flexural moment capacity does not greatly increase in the presence of torsion. A model has also been presented to represent the bending–torsion interaction for curved in plan composite steel–concrete beams with full and partial shear connection.