Effects of cast-in-place concrete topping on flexural response of precast concrete hollow-core slabs

• Flexural response of precast hollow-core units with composite topping slab is studied.
• Major composite action is valid in uncracked state of the cross section.
• Topping slab improved cracking moment and initial stiffness of hollow-core unit.
• Composite action is lost prior to reaching the ultimate moment capacity.
• Interface shear strength values in specimens are lower than those specified by ACI and AASHTO Specifications.

Results of a study focusing on the flexural response of precast prestressed concrete hollow-core slabs with cast-in-place concrete topping are presented. The experimental part of the study included load testing of five precast concrete hollow-core units. The numerically determined flexural response of test specimens was later compared with the experimentally obtained behavior. Results demonstrate that a major composite action is valid between the hollow-core unit and the topping slab under load levels corresponding to uncracked state of the cross section. Existence of a topping slab resulted in improvements in the cracking moment and initial stiffness of hollow-core units. The beneficial effect of topping slab on the ultimate moment capacity was observed to be limited, mainly because of the loss of composite action prior to reaching the ultimate moment capacity. Horizontal shear strength at the interface between hollow-core unit and topping slab was determined (1) through limited number of pushoff load tests and (2) through calculations considering the load level corresponding to initiation of significant relative slip using the basic mechanics of materials approach and the simplified code expression. The measured and computed interface shear strength values were observed to be significantly lower than the horizontal shear strength values specified by the ACI and AASHTO Specifications.