Loading capacity of composite slim frame beams

The estimation of the flexural stiffness and bending capacity of composite slim beams is rather complicated, because the influence of many factors should be taken into account. These factors include variable section dimensions, development of cracks and non-linear characteristics of concrete. This is especially true for the composite slim frame beam, in which the sagging moment region and the hogging moment region should both be considered. In this paper, experimental investigations have been conducted to investigate the flexural behavior of two specimens of composite slim frame beam with deep deck under monotonic loading. Based on the experimental results, formulas of calculating the bending capacity and flexural stiffness in the hogging moment region of the slim beam with deep deck has been proposed. Combining these formulas with existing formulas of sagging moment, formulas for the equivalent stiffness and the design method of the frame slim beam have been developed. The feasibility of the proposed formulas and design method has been verified by the test results.