Cracked span length beam element for service load analysis of steel concrete composite bridges

• A cracked span length beam element proposed for steel concrete composite bridges.
• The element accounts for cracking in concrete slabs at a service load.
• A procedure is developed for the analysis of composite bridges using proposed elements.
• The procedure is validated by comparing with experimental and FEA results.
• The procedure would lead to a considerable reduction in the computational effort.

For instantaneous non-linear analysis of steel concrete composite bridges that are subjected to a service load, a cracked span length beam element has been proposed. The element consists of two cracked zones at the ends and one uncracked zone between the cracked zones. The element has been used to develop a hybrid analytical–numerical procedure for composite bridges. The procedure yields crack lengths and deflections as well as redistributed moments. The procedure would lead to a considerable reduction in the computational effort in the case of continuous steel concrete composite bridges that consist of a large number of spans.