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Part 4
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Technical TheStructuralEngineer 41
Composite/Steel compendium April 2014

Composite and Steel

Construction compendium
Part 4: Composite beams using precast concrete units
This article is part of a series units. This dimension will typically be less than 1.5m, with bars
that will gradually build to form a extending between 500mm and 600mm into the units depending
Composite (steel-concrete) and on fire design requirements. The full depth of concrete is assumed
Steel Construction compendium. (justified by tests) to be mobilised within this width. As all of the
Written by leading experts from effective flange is therefore in close proximity to the beam, any
the SCI, the articles aim to provide reduction in the depth of in situ topping (that may result from
a real insight into composite precambering of the hollow-core units) will not adversely affect
and steel construction, to help structural performance.
practicing engineers get the most
from these materials. Solid planks
Due to the fact that more in situ concrete topping is used with solid
planks (compared to hollow-core units), the effective width may
Introduction be calculated in the same way as for a composite beam with an
The first three articles in this series focused on composite beams in situ slab. The effective width given in EN 1994-1-1 Clause 5.4.1.21
and slabs in which the concrete element is cast in situ. However, is expressed in relation to the span of the beam. Different values
it is also possible to form the concrete flange of a composite may apply at different points along the beam, although when elastic
beam using precast units, be they solid or hollow-core. It is a form global analysis is used, a constant effective width may be assumed
of construction that can be particularly appropriate in certain over the whole of each span, taken as span/4.
circumstances – as well as demonstrating the usual benefits of
composite construction such as reduced steel beam weight/depth. Solid planks transverse to the beam may be considered to act in
In particular, using precast units may facilitate greater spacing compression when the edge details permit transfer of compression
of secondary beams and efficient use of composite construction through in situ concrete. In this case, a minimum of 25mm of the
in semi-exposed applications (such as car parks). If no concrete slab depth should be deducted because of the lack of in situ
topping is needed then the ‘dry construction’ may facilitate work concrete at the interface between the bottom edges of the planks.
on site. Although the use of profiled decking has the advantage Figure 2 shows this in the context of hollow-cores. If there is a
of reducing the amount of crane time needed to construct a floor simple butt joint detail between the planks, this does not achieve
(because individual sheets can be manually placed) precast units effective compression transfer, and the depth of the slab should
offer the benefit of providing a more robust floor from the moment be taken as equal to the depth of the concrete topping alone. Note
they are in position. that in this case the structural characteristics of the composite
beam will be sensitive to the depth of in situ topping, and care
Composite beams with precast units are not within the current should be taken to allow for any reductions in this depth, due to
scope of Eurocode 4, and the rules within that code (particularly precambering of the precast units.
those concerning effective flange width, stud resistance and
minimum degree of shear connection) should not be blindly
applied to this form of construction. Complementary guidance and
justification is given in this article, which focuses solely on precast
units used with downstand beams (the 'Further reading' section
includes a publication that discusses shallow floors using precast
units).

The effective flange

Hollow-core units
For hollow-core units, the extent of the in situ concrete, and the
area of transverse reinforcement provided (bars passing between
opposing units, Figure 1), will strongly influence the effective width
of the slab that may be considered in the composite beam design.
Research has demonstrated that the effective width of the slab
should not be taken as greater than the total width of the concrete N Figure 1
Reinforcing bars passing
SCI

infill plus the width of the gap between the ends of the hollow-core between hollow-core units

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Part 4

42 TheStructuralEngineer Technical
April 2014 Composite/Steel compendium

W Figure 2
Cross section
through a joint between
solid planks

Interface where no transfer

of compression is assumed

SCI
 Figure 3
Push off test with precast units
 Figure 4
End bearing of solid
planks on steel beam

75 mm
D. LAM, UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD, UK

SCI
Shear connection there is sufficient gap to ensure correct compaction of the concrete.
Resistance of shear studs
Eurocode 4, like BS 5950-3.12, defines the resistance of a shear Minimum degree of shear connection
stud in a solid concrete slab (Clause 6.6.3.1), and gives reduction The minimum degree of shear connection rules given in Clause 6.6.1.2
factors kt and kl to apply to this resistance when the slab is formed of EN 1994-1-1 ensure that the shear studs have adequate deformation
using profiled steel decking (be it transverse to or parallel with the capacity, based on a characteristic slip capacity of 6mm i.e. they
beam axis, respectively). The reduction factors are based on tests guarantee that the connection will be sufficiently stiff to stop greater
comprising slabs of relevant form. A similar approach must be taken slip occurring. In order to ensure that 6mm slip can be accommodated,
to determine reduction factors relevant to slabs comprising solid or and so the use of these rules is justified for slabs using precast units,
hollow-core precast units, which can then be justifiably applied to the 16mm diameter high tensile transverse reinforcement bars should be
solid slab resistances given in EN 1994-1-1. used (passing between opposing units) when hollow-core units are
employed. The bars should be placed at least 15mm below the heads
For hollow-core units the reduction factor k is based on the results of of the studs (Fig. 1). This is not generally a problem because studs
push-out tests by Lam (Figure 3). It is a function of the gap between are typically 125mm high and the base of the opening is 30-40mm
the plank ends and the confinement of the stud within that gap (which above the base of a hollow-core unit. When solid planks are employed,
is traversed by reinforcement), and may be taken as 0.9 provided it is recommended that bars of at least 10mm diameter are used, in
the detailing rules on minimum gap width and bar size given in the conjunction with A142 fabric, in order to maintain 6mm slip capacity.
following sub sections are respected (more information is given in the
forthcoming SCI publication, P401: Design of composite beams using Special considerations for steel beam specification
precast concrete slabs in accordance with Eurocode 4). Minimum top flange width
The minimum acceptable beam (top flange) width depends on the
Tests have demonstrated that the reduction factor for studs type of slab, whether the shear connectors are to be shop-welded
embedded in slabs using solid planks is only a function of the gap or site-welded and whether the beam is an internal or edge beam.
between the solid planks. A value of k equal to 1.0 may be used when It is specified to ensure that the precast units will have sufficient

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for. During this second phase, provided the precast units to either
side are of equal span, the beam will be verified for balanced
loading. There is no need to consider 'pattern loading' with the
construction loads placed to one side only.

Restraint of the steel beam

b
When the slab is formed from in situ concrete, the top flange of
the steel beam will normally be restrained during construction,
either by adequately fixed decking spanning transverse to the
Fd beam (in which case it has in-plane stiffness), or by the secondary
Fd beams that support longitudinal decking at 3-4m centres. When
precast units are used, provided they are of equal span to either
Restoring moment
side of the beam, they may be assumed to provide restraint
= Fd b through a combination of restoring moment (Figure 5) and friction
for beam spans up to 160 times the unit's bearing width (i.e. spans
up to around 8m may be assumed to be restrained)4. If the top
flange cannot be assumed to be held in place by the units, specific
restraints must be provided. Such restraints should be capable
of resisting a force equal to 2.0% of the force in the compression
flange.
SCI

As well as the possible need to provide structural restraint to the

 Figure 5
Restoring moment due to balanced loading beam to prevent torsional modes of failure, it may be necessary
to provide temporary restraints to hold the top flange in position
during placement of the precast units. The precise requirement
bearing (Figure 4), and that the shear studs can be placed and will depend on a number of variables, in particular the lateral
correctly embedded in concrete. The width chosen must also take stiffness of the beam. A recognised rule-of-thumb is to place ties
into account manufacturing and construction deviations, including between compression flanges at a minimum spacing of 40x the
variations in the size and position of the steelwork, length variations beam flange width.
in the manufacture of the precast units and the accuracy with which
the units can be positioned on site. Although it is possible, with time
and effort, to quantify each of these factors separately, a simple References and further reading
summation would be excessively conservative. A global overview of
how deviations might reasonably combine, should be considered.
Using such an approach, The Precast Flooring Federation 1) British Standards Institution (2005) BS EN 1994-1-1:2004
recommend a minimum of 75mm nominal bearing length3. Eurocode 4. Design of composite steel and concrete structures –
General rules and rules for buildings London: BSI
In addition to providing adequate bearing for the units, the gap
between them must be sufficient. Ordinarily a minimum of 85mm 2) British Standards Institution (1990) BS 5950-3.1:1990+A1:2010
is recommended for site-welded shear connectors, to allow Structural use of steelwork in building. Design in composite
sufficient space for the welding tool and concrete placement construction. Code of practice for design of simple and continuous
(65mm) while recognising up to 10mm excess bearing of the composite beams London: BSI
precast units on each side. For shop-welded shear connectors
this can be reduced to 70mm, as only 50mm is needed to allow 3) Precast Flooring Federation (2013) Code of Practice for: The
for concrete placement. Safe Installation of Precast Concrete Flooring and Associated
Components [Online] Available at: www.precastfloors.info/
The minimum beam flange width should therefore be 235mm for downloads/download-registration.html (Accessed: March 2014)
site welded studs, or 220mm if they are shop welded. It may be
possible to use a steel section with a narrower flange, particularly 4) Steel Construction Institute (2011) Stability of Steel Beams and
to support shorter span precast units, if manufacturing and site Columns (P360) Ascot, Berkshire: SCI
deviations can be controlled within tighter tolerances. This should
only be carried out in consultation with the precast supplier. Further reading
Steel Construction Institute (2014) Design of composite beams
Loading during construction using precast concrete slabs in accordance with Eurocode 4 (P401)
Two distinct conditions need to be considered when verifying the Ascot, Berkshire: SCI (publication in 2014)
bare steel beam. Firstly, the construction phase during which the
precast units are put in place, and during which (depending on Lam D. (2007) ‘Capacities of headed stud shear connectors in
the sequence of placement and the span of the units to either composite steel beams with precast hollowcore slabs’ Journal of
side of a given beam) the beam may be subject to significant Constructional Steel Research, 63, pp. 1160-1174
unbalanced loading because the units act eccentrically to the
beam's centroid. Any unbalanced loading will subject the beam Steel Construction Institute (2006) Design of asymmetric Slimflor
to combined bending and torsion, for which both cross section beams with precast concrete slabs (P342) Ascot, Berkshire: SCI
and member verifications should be carried out. Secondly, the
stage when all the units are in place and the weight of any in situ Steel Construction Institute (2011) Design of steel beams in torsion
topping, including the variable construction loads, must be allowed (P385) Ascot, Berkshire: SCI

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