BEHAVIOR OF COMPOSITE TIMBER-CONCRETE FLOORS

Timber-concrete floors arc widely used in the Persian Gulf region because of their resistance to the hot and aggressive environment of the area. Because no shear connector is provided, the timber joists and concrete slab work independently. In this study, it is suggested that relatively inexpensive high-strength nails be used as shear connectors so that the timber joists and concrete slab resist the loads as a composite section. Experimental investigations have shown that it is possible to attain full composite action through the use of these high-strength nails. The proposed composite timber-concrete floor system was subjected to static short-term loading, repeated loading, and long-term sustained loading. It is observed that in terms of strength and serviceability the behavior of the proposed system is within the limits set by standard building code. This behavior is also verified by a finite-element analysis. The experimental and numerical results clearly reveal that it is possible to achieve a stiffer floor system, longer spans, and a significant reduction in the number of timber joists, while attaining the same receptivity to a hot and aggressive environment.