| Cracking phenomena of a concrete slab and a steel beam was investigated for a composite beam. Studies from various researchers showed that cracking can develop from various aspects of the beam while the concrete slab is bonded to the steel beam. Weakening from the composite beam can result from the longitudinal shear stress that causes cracking from shear connectors, cracking from tensile forces, crushing from compression forces and also cracking from concrete shrinkage. This can contribute to premature failure to the composite beam. Methods were researched for a solution to prevent the premature failure. Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) is a material that can decrease the amount of cracking in composite beams. Experimental studies will need to be prepared to see if fiber reinforced concrete can decrease the cracking failure and improve strength of the composite beam rather than using a plain concrete slab with steel mesh reinforcement. An experiment to test the effect of FRC on the flexural behavior of steel and concrete composite beams was completed. |
