Composite prestressed concrete beams with corrugated steel webs

This paper compares theoretical predictions and test results for a series of five, 5.5 m long and 0.73 m deep, composite I-beams with a pre-tensioned high strength concrete lower chord, a corrugated web, and a reinforced concrete upper chord. The beams have been designed to utilize the material in each component based on its most efficient load-carrying mode. Prestressing steel supports the tension, concrete supports the compression, while the corrugated steel web supports the shear. Corrugated steel panels can be highly stressed in shear as the vertical corrugations delay both local and global buckling. in addition, the substitution of corrugated steel instead of concrete webs results in large reduction in member weight. The goals of this research are to establish a criterion for choosing the optimum corrugation aspect ratio and thickness that can provide the highest shear strength for the least volume of steel, to identify the buckling and the post-buckling contributions to the shear strength, and to investigate the flexure behaviour of such beams. The observed overall behaviour was very ductile. The force distribution mentioned above was confirmed as well as the existence of a post-buckling strength that can be as high as 82 % of the total strength.