Parametric study of bonded steel–concrete composite beams by using finite element analysis

The steel–concrete composite beam bonded by adhesive has particular advantages over the traditional composite beam. Based on the experimental push-out test, this paper proposes a three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model for the mechanical behaviour simulation of bonded steel–concrete composite beams. The proposed numerical model is validated through comparisons between numerical results and experimental data. The effects of certain parameters, including the elastic modulus of adhesive, the adhesive layer’s thickness, the concrete strength, the bonding strength and the bonding area, are investigated. Numerical results show that the influence of most investigated parameters on the response of the bonded composites is very notable, while that of the adhesive layer’s thickness (variation within 3–15 mm) is relatively small.

► Experimental push-out tests were carried out to study the adhesive connection.
► The epoxy adhesive between steel and concrete can provide a bonding strength of 6.36 MPa.
► The behaviour of bonded composite beams depended strongly on adhesive’s material properties.
► Debonding of bonded composite beams mainly depend on the bonding strength and the bonding area.