EFFECTIVE WIDTH CRITERIA FOR COMPOSITE BEAMS.

Abstract

A key factor in the analysis and design of composite flexural members is the effective width of the slab, i. e. , that part of the slab that can be relied upon to act compositely with the steel beam. The current design specification for steel building structures in the United States gives detailed criteria, as do others. However, these have mostly been developed on the basis of analyses and tests of composite beams without steel deck. It is the purpose of this paper to evaluate the performance of some of the currect effective width criteria, and to recommend practical improvements for use in future specifications.