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CIVL 510

Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

Nazli Azimikor

Abstract

Design of Steel-Concrete
Composite Decks

The efficiency and structural performance of steel-concrete decks


is highly improved in composite action. This is because the high
tensile resistance of steel complements the compression strength of
concrete in bending.
Composite steel-concrete floor decks are typically constructed by
connecting steel girders with concrete slabs by means of shear
connectors such as Nelson studs. As such, they may be analyzed
and designed as composite T-beams based on principals of
structural mechanics.

For:

Dr. Stiemer
CIVL 510
University of British Columbia

By:

Nazli Azimikor
41055021

Date: April 24, 2010

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

The objective of this project is to produce a tool for the rapid


evaluation of applied loads and analysis of member bending
moment and shear capacity based on user-specified loads, member
sizes and material strengths. For this purpose, a spreadsheet and a
complementary Visual Basic software tool have been developed.
The spreadsheet accepts information about the applied loads, the
dimensions of the floor, member sizes and material strengths and
strength factors from the user. Given the above information, the
spreadsheet then calculates cross-sectional properties such as the
location of neutral axis, the section's transformed moment of
inertia and section modulus, as well as its bending moment and
shear capacity in a step-by-step procedure according to established
codes and standards. It also determines the number of shear
connectors required to ensure composite action is achieved. As
such, the spreadsheet developed for this project can be used as an
efficient design tool that is easy to follow and document. The
complementary Visual Basic software was developed based on the
same procedures used in the spreadsheet and outputs the same
cross-sectional properties. Therefore, it is a great analysis tool that
allows the rapid evaluation of cross-sectional properties for cases
in which a number of iterations are required.

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

Nazli Azimikor

Table of Contents
Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks ................................... 1
Abstract ....................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ............................................................................ 2
Table of Figures .............................................................................. 2
1.0 Introduction ............................................................................... 3
2.0 Background ............................................................................... 3
3.0 Statement of the Problem and the Solution Approach .............. 4
4.0 Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet .................................................... 5
4.1 Calculation of Specified and Factored Loads ....................... 6
4.2 Analysis and Design Procedure ............................................ 6
5.0 Visual Basic Analysis Tool..................................................... 12
5.1 Limitations on the Use of the Visual Basic Analysis Tool . 13
5.2 Program Set-Up .................................................................. 13
6.0 Conclusion .............................................................................. 15
7.0 Bibliography ........................................................................... 16
Appendix A: Visual Basic Code ............................................... 17

Table of Figures
Figure 1: Composite T-Beam cross section . Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 2: Stress distribution along member's width and equivalent
width. .............................................................................................. 7
Figure 3: The possible locations of neutral ..................................... 8

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CIVL 510

Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

1.0 Introduction
Design of composite steel and concrete structures has become an
essential component of engineering due to the widely popular use
of the two materials in construction. Applications of design with
composite sections range from buildings, to bridges, to
foundations, and to special structures.
The high tensile resistance of steel and the compression strength of
concrete complement each other in construction and their
combination makes for highly efficient design. Therefore, steelconcrete composite sections can be advantageous in that they allow
for use of shallower steel beams in construction, consequently
reducing the steel weight. The highly efficient cross section also
means stiffer floors and/or decks for the same depth and therefore
increased span.
To ensure composite action between concrete and steel, shear
connectors such as Nelson studs are required. Therefore some of
the disadvantages of composite section design can be the extra cost
of shear connector and their presence as a tripping hazard during
construction. Also, during service, the vibration of the floor/deck
may sometimes be an issue due to the shallow depth of the
sections. Finally, design of composite sections requires more
engineering time and effort.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to develop tools to help with rapid
analysis and design of steel-concrete sections and to assess the
usefulness of their application for projects. The objective of this
project is to develop simple and easy to use tools to allow rapid
engineering calculation and documentation. As such, a spreadsheet
has been developed that takes user input information with regards
to loads and dimensions of the section and performs step-by-step
analysis to aid with design. For the purposes of very quick

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analysis, complementary visual basic software has also been


developed that calculates important section properties upon the
click of a button.
This report provides a general overview of the theory behind
composite design and construction. The approach taken to develop
the above design tools is discussed. Thereafter, an overview of the
step-by-step design procedure outlined in the spreadsheet is
provided, followed by a detailed description of the methods used in
implementing the complementary visual basic software. The
directions for use and the limitations of each tool are also
discussed.
It is our assumption that the engineer using the spreadsheet and the
complementary software presented in this project has an adequate
grasp of the fundamentals that govern how composite structures
work. As such, the procedures outlined in the subsequent sections
are derived mainly by using codes of practice or by the direct
application of prescribed equations as quick design procedures for
composite members.

2.0 Background
Composite structural members are made by joining a steel
component to a concrete component. For the purposes of this
project, the composite steel-concrete section for a deck is analyzed.
Such a section consists of a steel member, such as a wide flange
steel beam, connected to a concrete component, such as a floor
slab. The connections between the materials are created by the use
of shear connectors such as Nelson studs, as is shown in figure 1.

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

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on the assumption of 100 percent shear connection, this may not be


possible due to various factors such as fatigue, installation,
spacing, etc.

3.0 Statement of the Problem and the


Solution Approach

Figure 1: Composite T-Beam cross section (Bradford, 1999)


When a bending member, such as a floor deck, is subjected to a
positive bending moment, the top face of the member undergoes
compression stress, while the bottom is subjected to tension.
Composite sections are a great way to combine concrete and steel
in constructing highly efficient bending members. High resistance
against positive bending moments is achieved in composite
sections because the high strength of concrete in compression
complements that of steel in tension, resulting in resistance to the
internal stresses.
The complementary relationship between steel and concrete is
most effective when there is an efficient connection at the interface
of the two materials. This connection allows for transfer of shear
forces at the interface between the materials, hence preventing
their vertical separation. In the absence of such a connection, the
forces developed in one component would not be transferred to the
other component and the section would behave as two separate
members. Note that although calculations may be completed based

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

Composite section design can be a time consuming process with


many steps involved in calculating shear transfer between the
materials and full and partial moment resistance for a given
section. Therefore, a well-laid-out spreadsheet or a computer
program would be an asset to any engineer who completes
composite section design on a regular basis. Although limit state
design requires checks for both ultimate limit state and
serviceability limit state, the focus of this project has been on
ultimate limit states.
The project presented here provides the following two
complementary tools for rapid analysis and design of composite
sections:
1. An Excel spreadsheet outlining the step by step analysis
procedure to aid with design according to codes and standards
2. A visual basic software implemented within Microsoft Excel
that simply outputs important section properties
Both the Excel worksheet and the Visual Basic software accept
user input for material properties and sectional dimensions. The
Excel worksheet also accepts specified loads and calculates
factored applied bending moment and shear.

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

The main outputs of the spreadsheet and the software herein


presented are the following:
Effective width of concrete slab, b1
Moment resistance of composite section, Mr, for full and partial

shear transfer
Sum of factored resistances of all shear connections, Qr, for 100
percent connections
Transformed moment of inertia, It
Transformed section modulus, St
In addition to the above outputs, the Excel spreadsheet performs
checks to ensure conditions during construction are satisfactory
and determines the number of shear connectors required.

In the sections that follow, the functions of each tool and their
methods of development are discussed in more detail.

4.0 Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet


To ease with the ease of analysis and design of steel-concrete
composite deck sections, and to provide a tool that allows easy and
accurate documentation, a spreadsheet has been developed for this
project that takes performs analysis tasks in a stepwise manner.
Within the spreadsheet, the definition of all parameters and the
symbols used to represent them are given. At each computational
step, the equations used are clearly displayed, and where
provisional clauses in codes and standards are used, they are
referenced.
The Excel spreadsheet developed for this project consists of four
worksheets labeled as follows:

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

1.
2.
3.
4.

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CISC Sections
Loads
User Input
Analysis

Worksheet "CISC Sections" is simply a database of steel sections


that provides section properties for specified steel wide-flange
members. The user need not utilize this worksheet. Worksheet
"Loads" accepts user input loads, dimensions and limit states load
factors and determines specified and factored applied bending
moments and shear on the member.
Worksheet "User Input" accepts material properties, factors, and
sectional dimensions for the concrete deck, steel beam and shear
connectors to be used in analysis and design. The worksheet is set
up as to allow the user to specify whether the steel beam is a wide
flange member or a built-up section from a drop-down menu. If a
wide-flange section is used, then the worksheet will use the
information from the "CISC Sections" worksheet to automatically
display section properties of the specified section based on its
designation. Another drop-down menu is incorporated to allow the
user to specify whether the section is stiffened or not. For the
concrete slab, the user is also able to specify whether the concrete
slab was solid, poured on steel deck parallel to ribs or
perpendicular to ribs.
Worksheet "Analysis" uses the information in the above three
worksheets and outlines the analysis and design procedures for the
composite section in a stepwise manner. Major outputs of this
worksheet are highlighted for clarity. The following section
explains in detail each analysis step as laid out in this worksheet.

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

4.1 Calculation of Specified and Factored Loads


The construction of composite sections consists of the following
three major stages:
1. Stage 1: Steel beams/girders are installed
2. Stage 2: Decking and/or formwork is laid above the steel beams
and wet concrete is poured
3. Stage 3: Concrete has hardened and acts together with steal
During the first stage, the steel member must have enough capacity
to withstand its own weight. At the second stage, the steel member
and the concrete slab are still in non-composite action since
concrete has not yet hardened. As such, the steel member must
hold up its own weight as well as the live loads during construction
due to the placement of decking/formwork and pouring of the
concrete slab. Finally, once concrete has hardened at the third
stage, steel member and the concrete slab must resist all specified
loads in composite action.
During stages 1 and 2, the steel beam is treated like a temporary
structure. Work Safe B.C. requires that all temporary structures
have capacity to resist a minimum of 2 kPa construction live load.
This construction live load may require the selection of deeper
steel section for construction purposes even though a shallower
member would suffice once composite action is achieved. This
may be a source of inefficiency in design where shallower
members are crucial.
The factored applied moment and shear are calculated according to
the provisions of National Building Code (NBCC) 2005 and using
the live and dead load factors as appropriate. These factored
applied moment and shear are used in the analysis section to assess
the strength of the section in composite action. It must be noted

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that in calculating the live load, the area reduction factor Rf is


utilized. This factor which is influenced by the tributary area of the
composite deck section, is introduced in NBCC 2005 clause
4.1.5.9.(3) to account for the unlikelihood of the event that the
entire specified live load is applied at the same location on the
roof/floor deck.
Section 17.11 of the Canadian Standard Association (CSA) S16-01
requires that the stresses in the tension flange of the steel section
due to the loads applied before the concrete strength reaches
0.75f'c plus the stresses at the same location due to the remaining
specified loads considered to act on the composite section shall not
exceed Fy.
Therefore, moments due to specified loads (unfactored) during
phases 1, 2 and 3 of construction as previously discussed are also
calculated in this section. These unfactored applied moments are
then used in combination with the transformed section modulus to
determine stresses during each construction phases. It is then
ensured that the sum of these stresses does not exceed the yield
strength of steel.

4.2 Analysis and Design Procedure


In this section, each step of analysis and design as outlined in the
spreadsheet are discussed in detail. The equations and CSA
references employed at each step are also provided.
Step 1: Check to ensure steel beam/girder has adequate capacity
under construction loads
As was mentioned before, before concrete is poured or hardened,
the steel beams installed act as temporary structural members. The

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

moment resistance of the steel section is determined based on its


yield strength and its plastic section modulus as follows:

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uniformly distributed along the width of the element as shown in


Figure 2.

(1)
If the steel section's moment capacity as determined above is lower
than the factored bending moment due to construction loads as
previously discussed, then the user must specify a larger steel
beam/girder.
Next, section properties in composite action must be determined.
Calculating the section's strength and its properties requires finding
the location of its neutral axis. This is because at the neutral axis,
the section does not experience any strains and therefore, this point
is an important reference point in determining the magnitude and
direction of internal forces and subsequently the section's bending
moment capacity. The sections moment of inertia and section
modulus are also dependent on the location of the neutral axis.
The neutral axis can be located by satisfying equilibrium
conditions. The location of the neutral axis may vary depending on
the value of the compressive strength of concrete in relation to the
tensile strength of steel. Assuming a rigid-plastic approach, the
unfactored axial strength of steel can be determined by multiplying
the area of steel in tension, As, by its yield strength, Fy. Similarly,
the compressive strength of concrete is equal to the area of the
concrete in compression, Ac, multiplied by the compressive
resistance of concrete, fc.
However, before the area of concrete in compression can be
calculated, the effective width of the concrete slab must first be
determined. The concept of effective width is useful in design of
composite steel-concrete structures since the stress is non-

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

Figure 2. Stress distribution along the element width and


equivalent width
As can be seen from Figure 2, the actual width of concrete
subjected to stress approaches infinity. However, for practical
purposes, an equivalent width may be defined over which stresses
can be assumed to be uniformly distributed. According to CSA
standard S16-01, section 17.4.1, the effective width of the concrete
slab in compression in a composite steel-concrete T-beam is taken
to be the minimum of one quarter of the length of the concrete

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

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member and the span of the member. This effective width is then
used in the subsequent calculations.

Step 5: Determine whether the neutral axis is in concrete or in steel


section

As mentioned before, the location of the neutral axis can be


determined by establishing the location at which equilibrium of
forces is achieved. For this the concept of shear flow is used.

The location of the neutral axis can be determined through


comparing the values for Tr and Cr. Figure 3 illustrates the possible
locations of the neutral axis in a composite steel-concrete section.

Steps 2 through 4: Determine the shear transfer


Assuming 100 percent shear connection, the compressive
resistance of concrete, Cr, and tensile resistance of steel, Tr, are
calculated based on cross sectional dimensions and material
properties. Tr and Cr are determined using the following two
equations as provided in CSA S16-01 sections 17.9.5 and 17.9.6
respectively:
C
T

f A
f A

(2)
(3)

When using equation (2), the effective width of concrete


previously determined is used in calculating the area of concrete.
According to CSA S16-01, section 17.9.5, the shear transfer is
taken as the minimum of the two values of Tr and Cr. This logic
allows for the satisfaction of static equilibrium of the cross section,
which requires that compressive and tensile forces be equal and
assumes that the tensile resistance of concrete is negligible.
Therefore, in step 4, the maximum possible shear flow is taken as
the minimum of Tr and Cr.
Having determined the shear flow, it can be determined whether
the neutral axis lies within the concrete slab or the steel section.
This is done in step 5.

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

Figure 3: The possible locations of neutral axis (Bradford, 1999)


As shown in Figure 3a, if the compressive strength of the concrete
component is greater than the tensile resistance of the steel section,
then the shear transferred between the two materials is as much
resistance as the steel can offer and therefore the neutral axis will
be in concrete. This is because either there must be more tensile
force available across the cross section of the concrete slab or less

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

compression. Since the tensile resistance of concrete is assumed to


be zero, the only available direction for the neutral axis to move,
from the steel-concrete interface, to establish static equilibrium is
upward into the concrete.
Similarly, as shown in Figure 3b, if the compressive strength of
concrete is smaller than the tensile resistance of the steel section,
then the shear transferred across the interface will be as much
resistance as concrete can offer. Therefore, the neutral axis in this
case will be in the steel section.
Taking the above concepts into account, Step 5 on the spreadsheet
identifies whether the neutral axis is in concrete or in steel. Once
this is identified, it becomes easier to find the exact location of the
neutral axis.

Before moving on to finding the exact location of the neutral axis


and subsequently the section's moment resistance, having
identified whether the neutral axis is in steel or in concrete, the
amount of horizontal shear force can easily be determined for full
or partial shear transfer as follows:
C
T % shear transfer

if N. A. in steel
if N. A. in concrete

(4)

Step 7 through 10: Find the exact location of neutral axis and
corresponding moment resistance
Whether the neutral axis was found to be in concrete or in steel,
solving the equation of equilibrium for Tr = Cr provides the exact
location of the neutral axis in either case.

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

If the neutral axis was found to be in concrete, the location of the


neutral axis relative to the top fibre of the section is determined in
Step 7. If the neutral axis was determined to be in steel, the exact
form of the equation of equilibrium and the moment resistance of
the section will depend on whether the neutral axis is in the steel
flange or the steel web. Therefore, if the neutral axis was found to
be in steel, Steps 8a through 8c help determine whether it is in steel
flange or steel web. Steps 9a through 9c, determine the exact
location of the neutral axis, the resulting internal compressive and
tensile forces at the cross-section of the composite member and
their corresponding moment arms. Given the above information
the moment resistance of the section for all three possible locations
of the neutral axis; in concrete, in steel flange and in steel web can
be found respectively.
In step 10, based on the actual location of the neutral axis
determined in steps 5 and/or 8c, the appropriate moment resistance
of the composite cross-section is chosen and displayed.

Step 6: Factored horizontal shear force

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Once the section bending moment resistance is determined, it is


time to check for total stresses. But before stresses can be found,
the section's transformed moment of inertia and elastic section
modulus must be determined. For this, the location of the centroid
of the section in the vertical direction must first be identified.
Steps 11 through 13: Determine the location of the composite
section's centroid in the vertical direction
The following general equation is used in order to find the
composite section's centroid:
y

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A
A

(5)

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Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

In order to determine the area of the concrete slab in compression,


first the transformed width of the concrete slab is determined using
the modular ratio. The modular ratio is the ratio of the elastic
modulus of steel to that of concrete. Depending on whether the
neutral axis was determined to be in concrete or in steel, the
location of centroid is solved using equation (5) with the
appropriate depth of concrete. If the neutral axis is in steel, solving
equation (5) is simple since the entire cross section of concrete and
steel provide compression resistance. However, if the neutral axis
is in concrete, only the portion of the concrete slab in compression
provides resistance. This is because for simplicity concrete tensile
resistance is assumed to be zero. In this case, the centroid of the
section in the vertical direction could be solved for using the
following equation:
A
A

(6)

where x is the depth of concrete in compression. In the spreadsheet


for this project, x is solved for using the Excel Solver Add-in
feature. Step 13 displays the appropriate centroid of the section as
calculated above based on the previously determined location of
the neutral axis. This location of the centroid is then used in
determining the sections transformed moment of inertia and
section modulus.
Step 14: Transformed moment of inertia of the composite section
Once the location of the centroid of the composite section has been
determined, the transformed moment of inertia of section can be
determined from first principals and parallel axis theorem as
follows:

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Ad

(7)

When using equation (7), the transformed width of concrete and its
depth in compression must be used. Also, note that di is the
distance between the centroid of each area segment to the centroid
of the section.
Step 15: Transformed section modulus of the composite section
In this step, the transformed section modulus is determined using
the calculated transformed moment of inertia and the centroid of
the section as follows:
S

(8)

The transformed section modulus is used to calculate the applied


stresses on the composite section in the steps that follow.
Step 16: Check of total stresses
As mentioned previously, section 17.11 of CSA S16-01 requires
that the sum of specified stresses during the three phases of
construction be less than the specified yield strength of steel. In
this step, the stresses during phases 1 and 2, where composite
action between steel and concrete has not yet been achieved, are
determined by dividing the applied moment resistance on the
temporary structure by the elastic section modulus of steel. The
stress on the composite action, which is achieved once the concrete
slab has hardened, is determined by dividing the maximum total
applied moment by the transformed section modulus. If the sum of
stresses is greater than Fy, then a warning message is displayed for
the user's consideration.

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Steps 17 through 25: Check shear capacity

The load at which the web buckles in shear depends on both

Since the spreadsheet allows the user to specify wide flange beams
or built-up sections, before determining the shear capacity of the
section, its slenderness ratio must be checked. This is to ensure that
the cross section does not buckle before reaching its shear
capacity. To prevent this from happening, clause 14.3.1 of the CSA
S16-01 specifies a maximum slenderness ratio
of
, for

the aspect ratio, , which is the ratio of stiffener spacing to web


height. The aspect ratio of the section is calculated in Step 18.

webs of beams and girders, where Fy is the specified minimum


yield point of the compression flange steel.
In cases where the section is found to be slender, its shear capacity
of can be improved and the onset of buckling delayed through the
addition of stiffeners.

In Steps 19 and 20, the shear buckling coefficient, kv, and the
aspect coefficient, ka, are determined based on the calculated value
of aspect ratio, respectively given the following equations as
provided in CSA S16-01 section 13.4.1.1:
4
k

5.34

k
Considering the above, the slenderness ratio of the web is
calculated in Step 17 and a warning message is displayed if web
buckling is determined to be an issue. The user may choose to
change the design if the web slenderness becomes an issue.
It must be kept in mind, however, that the web of a slender girder
can carry loads even after it has buckled inelastically in shear.
Shear buckling is characterized by diagonal tension strands in the
web. The diagonal pattern of shear buckles allows the development
of zones of tension called tension fields. The shear strength
arising from the tension-field action in the web develops a band of
tensile forces that occur after the web has buckled under diagonal
compression. Equilibrium is maintained by the transfer of forces to
the vertical stiffeners. As the girder load increases, the angle of
tension field changes to accommodate the greatest carrying
capacity. The longitudinal component of the tension field must be
transmitted to the flange in the adjacent panel.

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

and

if
if

a
a

h
h

1
1

(9)

(10)

As can be seen from equation (9), for unstiffened beams and


girders the shear buckling coefficient is equal to 5.34 since the
stiffener spacing is assumed to approach infinity.
The shear buckling coefficient is then used to determine elastic and
inelastic critical plate buckling stress in shear, Fcre and Fcri,
respectively, in Step 21 according to the following two equations
respectively, as set forth in CSA S16-01 section 13.4.1.1:
290

(11)
(12)

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h
w

439

k
F

and 27 the area of shear studs and the concrete pull-out area are
calculated based on user input values for stud diameter and height.
In Step 28, the factored shear resistance per stud in concrete is
determined based on type of slab specified. In Step 29, the factored
shear resistance of each stud is determined based on their cross
sectional area and ultimate capacity using the following equation
given in CSA S16-01 clause 17.7.2.1:
q

The above information is used in Step 22 to calculate the value of


shear stress, Fs, based on equations (a) through (d) of S16-01
clause 13.4.1.1 depending on the range within which the
slenderness ratio, , falls as follows:
F

0.66F

if

290

0.5F

0.5F

F k
h
w

if

439

k
F

h
w

502

k
F

0.866 F

if

502

k
F

h
w

621

k
F

0.866 F

if

621

k
F

h
w

Finally, in Step 24, the shear resistance of the cross section is


determined according to section 13.4.1 of S16-01 using the
following equation:
V

A F

(13)

where Aw is the area of steel web calculated in Step 23. In Step 25,
the shear resistance of the section is compared with the factored
applied shear and a warning message is displayed if the applied
shear exceeds shear resistance of the section.
Steps 26 through 32:
To ensure that composite action is achieved, shear flow must be
transferred from the concrete slab to the steel section. This is why
shear connectors, such as Nelson Studs are used to connect the
concrete deck to the steel beams or girders. Therefore, in Steps 26
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smaller of

0.5 A
f E
A F

(14)

Then, the number shear studs required is determined by dividing


the horizontal shear force determined in step 6 by the stud shear
capacity as determined above.

5.0 Visual Basic Analysis Tool


Although the spreadsheet discussed in section 4 is a very useful
analysis and design tool, it may not be very practical to use for
very quick checks of cross section properties. When sectional
moment resistance and properties are needed to be accessed very
quickly, it is often more practical to refer to tables or other rapid
access information tools. Tables with sectional properties of
composite decks can be found in the Handbook of Steel
Construction. However, it may be useful to have a tool that allows
a more flexible selection of sectional dimensions and/or material
properties. The complementary Visual Basic tool provided for this
project allows quick calculation of important section properties for
user specified section dimensions and material strengths.
The proceeding sections provide a background on the assumptions
based on which the complementary Visual Basic analysis tool was
developed. Detailed descriptions of the methods used to create the
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analysis tool are also given. Following similar procedures as in the


previous section this software calculates the shear transfer across
the interface of a user-specified composite steel-concrete deck
section, determines the moment resistance of the section for 100,
70, and 40 percent shear transfer, and calculates the cross section's
transformed moment of inertia and elastic section modulus.

dimensions and material properties of both steel and concrete


components of the composite deck.

5.1 Limitations on the Use of the Visual Basic


Analysis Tool

1.

As is the case with any engineering software, the person using the
composite section program for analysis must fully understand the
fundamentals and methodologies used in the calculations. The
results obtained from engineering software should never be taken
to be flawless; the user must have at least an idea of what results
are to be expected, and sample verifying calculations should
always be completed.
The composite design program provided as part of this assignment
is limited in that it assumes linear elastic-perfectly plastic
behaviour of both the steel and concrete. It also calculates the
transformed moment of inertia and section modulus based on 100
percent shear connection. Moreover, the area of steel is calculated
based on the assumption that the steel section can be divided into
perfectly rectangular segments. When using the program for
analysis, the user must keep these limitations of the program in
mind.

5.2 Program Set-Up


The user interface for the complementary visual basic tool is a
spreadsheet designed to receive the user input for section

Nazli Azimikor_Composite Deck Design Report.docx

The software operator, Visual Basic Application (VBA)


subroutine, implemented as part of the spreadsheet, is called
CompositeSection() and its main function consists of the following
three components:

2.

3.

Extract the user-input data and assign them to appropriate


variables defined publicly in the subroutine
Call upon various functions to calculate all necessary values
to determine shear transfer, moment resistance for full and
partial shear transfer, transformed moment of inertia and
transformed section modulus
Output the results at the user interface

The remainder of the VBA module created for this tool contains
several functions that will appropriately be called upon by the
operator subroutine CompositeSection().
The first of such functions in the VBA module is called
AreaSteel(). This function simply calculates the total area of the
steel section according to the dimensions specified by the user. The
value of the area of steel returned by this function is used in the
main subroutine, other functions and is also output at the user
interface.
Function EffecitveWidth() takes the values for the length and span
of the concrete member, as provided by the user, and through the
procedure described in section 4.2 determines the effective width
of concrete in compression.

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Function AreaConc() determines the total area of the concrete


based on the provided thickness of concrete slab and the previously
calculated effective width.
Function Shear() compares the values calculated for tensile
resistance of steel and compressive resistance of concrete and
determines the necessary shear transfer based on the procedure
described in step 4 of section 4.2. This function returns the value
for Qr, and is later called upon by other functions as well as the
main subroutine in determining horizontal shear and the location of
neutral axis. The value of Qr then is also output at the user
interface.
If function Shear() determines that shear flow, Qr, is equal to Tr
(i.e. the case in which Tr<Cr) then, the main subroutine,
CompositeSection(), calls upon function NAinConcrete() to return
the value of the composite sections moment resistance. This
function calculates moment resistance by assuming 100 percent
shear transfer and that the neutral axis is in the concrete.
Alternatively, if the shear flow determined by function Shear() is
equal to Cr (i.e. the case in which Tr>Cr) then, the main subroutine,
CompositeSection(), calls upon function NAinSteel() to return the
value of the sections moment resistance, assuming, this time. that
the neutral axis is the steel.
Function NAinConcrete() determines the location of the neutral
axis in concrete through the following simplified equation:
a = Tr / (Cr / thickness of concrete)
NAinConcrete then simply calculates the moment resistance of the
section as the couple force Cr and Tr separated by a lever arm that

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extends from the centroid of the area of concrete in compression to


the centroid of the steel section.
Function NAinSteel() takes two parameters; the first parameter is
the percentage of shear transfer and the second parameter is the
total area of the steel cross section. This function is designed to
calculate moment resistance for full or partial shear transfer.
First, function NAinSteel() determines the area of steel in
compression, Asc, in a similar fashion as described in section 4.2
step 8.
Once the area of steel in compression is determined, the function
NAinSteel() compares this value to the area of one steel flange.
This will determine whether the neutral axis is in the steel flange or
the steel web. This function will then call upon one of two
functions NAinSteelWeb() or NAinSteelFlange() accordingly.
Function NAinSteelFlange() takes the area of steel in compression,
Asc, and the percentage of shear transfer as its parameters. It then
determines the distance to the neutral axis from the top of the
flange based on the area of steel in compression and the user input
for flange width.
At this point, Function NAinSteelFlange() calculates the moment
arm for each compressive or tensile resistance with respect to the
bottom of the section. This function will then calculate the
compressive resistance in concrete as the full shear transferred, Qr,
multiplied by the function parameter, percentage shear transferred.
Once this is calculated, the moment due to each force can be
determined. The value returned by this function is the sum of all
moments calculated.

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Function NAinSteelWeb() follows the exact same procedure used


in function NAinSteelFlange(). However, to locate the neutral axis,
only the web portion of the area of steel in compression is used.
The location to the neutral axis is then determined as its distance
from the bottom of the top flange. From here, the moment arms
and moments are calculated as before and the sum of the moments
is returned as the final moment resistance.
Function MomentInertia() takes into consideration the location of
neutral axis (for the transformed section) and the value returned by
the function ybar() and determines the moment of inertia based on
methodologies outlined in section 4.2 step 14.

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sectional properties of a steel-concrete composite T-beam section


for purposes of design and analysis. Among information output for
the user are the effective width of the concrete slab, the bending
moment and shear capacity of the composite section along with its
transformed moment of inertia and elastic section modulus.
These tools provide quick and accurate solutions to calculations
that would normally be tedious to complete by hand. However, as
is true with all engineering software, the user must be familiar with
the fundamental concepts underlying design of composite sections
and utilize the output of the spreadsheet and the software
judiciously.

Function ybar() calculates the location of the centroid of the


section in the y-axis direction for the transformed section. This
value is dependent on whether the neutral axis is in the concrete, or
in the steel. If the neutral axis was determined to be in the
concrete, the area of concrete not in compression has no effect on
calculating the centroid or transformed moment of intertia.
Similarly, function SectionModulus() takes the values returned by
functions MomentInertia() and function ybar() and returns the
value of section modulus.
Attached in Appendix A is the excel printout of the Visual Basic
Code used in creating the composite section analysis tool.

6.0 Conclusion

The spreadsheet and the complementary program developed for


this project enable designers to quickly determine important cross-

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Nazli Azimikor

7.0 Bibliography
Bradford, Mark A., Deric J. Oehlers. "Elementary Behaviour of
Composite Steel and Concrete Structural Members." ButterworthHeinemann, 1999. 1-15.
Canadian Institute of Steel Construction. "Handbook of Steel
Construction." Toronto, Ontario: Quadratone Graphics Ltd., 2006.

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Appendix A: Visual Basic Code


Option Explicit
'decalre public steel properties to be shared among various functions
Public fi_s As Double
Public fy As Double
'yield strength of steel
Public tf As Double
'thickness of flange
Public bf As Double
'flange width
Public d As Double
'overall depth of steel
Public tw As Double
'thickness of web
Public Asteel As Double
'Area of Steel
'declare public concrete properties to be shared among various functions
Public fc As Double
'compressive strength of
concrete
Public fi_c As Double
Public alpha As Double
'usually equals 0.85
Public t As Double
'thickness of the
concrete section
Public S As Double
Public L As Double
Public beff As Double
Public Aconc As Double
'Area of Concrete
Public Cr As Double
Public Tr As Double
Public Qr As Double
Public A As Double
compression zone to the neutral axis
Public h As Double
Public Es As Double

'compression resistance
'tensile resistance
'shear flow
'distance from the top of the
'deck thickness
'Modulus of elasticity of steel

Sub CompositeSection()
Dim Asteel As Double
section

'Asteel=total area of steel

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'Extract necessary data for concrete from the Input worksheet:


Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
Range("C4").Select
fi_c = ActiveCell.Value
'assign strength
reduction factor of concrete
Range("C5").Select
alpha = ActiveCell.Value
Range("C6").Select
fc = ActiveCell.Value
'assign compressive
strength of concrete (MPa)
Range("E4").Select
t = ActiveCell.Value
'assign thickness of
concrete
Range("E3").Select
h = ActiveCell.Value
'assign thickness of
concrete

'Extract necessary data for steel from the Input worksheet:


Range("E7").Select
tw = ActiveCell.Value
Range("E8").Select
bf = ActiveCell.Value
Range("E9").Select
tf = ActiveCell.Value
Range("C7").Select
fi_s = ActiveCell.Value
'assign strength reduction factor
for steel
Range("C8").Select
fy = ActiveCell.Value
'assign Yield strength of steel
Range("E10").Select
d = ActiveCell.Value
'assign Total depth of steel
section
Range("C9").Select

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Es = ActiveCell.Value
section

Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

'assign Total depth of steel

'Call function AreaSteel to calculate total area of Steel


Asteel = AreaSteel()
Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 1) = Asteel
'Output the calculated area of steel
on the worksheet
'Calculate the maximum tension developed in steel if all steel was in
tension
Tr = fi_s * fy * Asteel
'Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
'ActiveSheet.Cells(11, 6) = Tr
'Output the calculated Tr on the
worksheet; checked
Range("E5").Select
L = ActiveCell.Value
Range("E6").Select
S = ActiveCell.Value

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Qr = shear()
'Output the shear transfer on cell F17 in kN
Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 6) = Qr / 1000
'Calculate the Moment resistance Mr for 100% shear transfer
Dim Mrc100 As Double
'If the shear flow calculated earlier was equal to Tr then N.A. is in
concrete
If Qr = Tr Then
Mrc100 = NAinConcrete()
Else
'Otherwise the N.A. is in steel and Mrc should be calculated accordingly
Mrc100 = NAinSteel(1, Asteel)
End If

'Concrete Length
'Concrete span

'calculate effective width of concrete according to S16-01


beff = EffectiveWidth()
'output the effective depth calculated in cell B2
Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 2) = beff
'calculate the maximum compression developed in concrete if all
concrete was in compression
Cr = fi_c * alpha * fc * AreaConc()
'Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
'ActiveSheet.Cells(11, 7) = Cr
'Output the calculated Tr on the
worksheet; checked
'Call upon function Shear to compare value of Cr and Tr and return a
value for shear transfer, Qr

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'Output the Mrc for 100% shear transfer


Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 3) = Mrc100
'checked
Dim Mrc70 As Double
'Calculate the Moment resistance Mr for 70% shear transfer
Mrc70 = NAinSteel(0.7, Asteel)
'Output the Mrc for 100% shear transfer
Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 4) = Mrc70
'checked
Dim Mrc40 As Double
'Calculate the Moment resistance Mr for 70% shear transfer
Mrc40 = NAinSteel(0.4, Asteel)
'Output the Mrc for 100% shear transfer
Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 5) = Mrc40

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'Output the transformed moment of inertia and section modulus


ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 7) = MomentInertia() / 1000000
ActiveSheet.Cells(17, 8) = SectionModulus() / 1000

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'a=(fi_s*fy*Asteel)/(0.85*fi_c*fc*beff)
'also (0.85*fi_c*fc*beff)=Cr/tc
A = Tr / (Cr / t)

End Sub
Public Function AreaSteel()
'calculate area of steel
AreaSteel = (2 * tf * bf) + (tw) * (d - (2 * tf))
End Function
Public Function EffectiveWidth() As Double
'calculate effective width of concrete according to S16-01
If (L / 4) < S Then
EffectiveWidth = L / 4
Else
EffectiveWidth = S
End If
End Function
Public Function AreaConc() As Double
'calculate area of concrete
AreaConc = beff * t
End Function
Public Function shear() As Double
'Qr=min of (Tr & Cr)
If Cr < Tr Then
shear = Cr
Else
shear = Tr
End If
End Function
Function NAinConcrete() As Double
'calculate a

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Dim e As Double
'lever arm for the couple moment
'calculate e
e = t + h + (d / 2) - (A / 2)
'Moment resistance = Tr * e (kN.m)
NAinConcrete = Tr * e / 10 ^ 6
End Function
Function NAinSteel(PercentageShear As Double, Area As Double) As
Double
Dim Asc As Double
Dim Af As Double
If Qr = Tr Then
'if Qr=Tr then for the incomplete shear transfer the Area of steel in
compression simplifies to
Asc = 0.5 * (1 - PercentageShear) * Area
compression for Qr=Tr
'Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
'ActiveSheet.Cells(11, 9) = 1 - PercentageShear
'Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
'ActiveSheet.Cells(11, 8) = Asc

'Area of steel in
'checked
'checked

Else
'if Qr=Cr then the N.A. was in the steel to begin with and it
remains in the steel
'simplified calculations for
Asc = (Tr - Cr * PercentageShear) / (2 * fi_s * fy) 'Area of steel in
compression for Qr = Cr

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End If
'calculate area of one of the steel flanges
Af = bf * tf
'Sheets("Composite Sections").Activate
'ActiveSheet.Cells(11, 10) = Af
'checked
'compare the area of steel in compression Asc
'if the area of steel in compression is less than the area of one flange, then
N.A. is in the flange
If Asc <= Af Then
NAinSteel = NAinSteelFlange(Asc, PercentageShear)
Else
'otherwise the N.A. is in the steel web
NAinSteel = NAinSteelWeb(Asc, PercentageShear)
End If
End Function
Function NAinSteelFlange(Area As Double, Percentage As Double) As
Double
'Declare variables to calculate individual areas and their centroids
Dim x As Double
'distance from the top of top flange to
NA
Dim Af1 As Double
'Area of each flange (bottom flange)
Dim Cf1 As Double
'Centroid of bottom flange
Dim Aw As Double
'Area of web
Dim Cw As Double
'centroid of web
Dim Af2 As Double
'Area of the part of top flange in tension
Dim Cf2 As Double
'Centroid of tension part of top flange
Dim Cf3 As Double
'Centroid of part of top flange in
compression
Dim V As Double
'Total shear force transferred
Dim CC As Double
'Centroid of concrete in compression
x = Area / bf
Af1 = tf * bf
Cf1 = tf / 2

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Aw = tw * (d - (2 * tf))
Cw = d / 2
Af2 = Af1 - Area
Cf2 = d - (tf / 2) - (x / 2)
Cf3 = d - (x / 2)
V = Qr * Percentage
percentage of total Q
CC = t / 2 + d + h

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'shear transferred in concrete is the

Dim Mr1 As Double


Dim Mr2 As Double
Dim Mr3 As Double
Dim Mr4 As Double
Dim Mr5 As Double
'Calculate each individual moment
Mr1 = (fi_s * fy * Af1 * Cf1) / 10 ^ 6
Mr2 = (fi_s * fy * Aw * Cw) / 10 ^ 6
Mr3 = (fi_s * fy * Af2 * Cf2) / 10 ^ 6
Mr4 = (fi_s * fy * Area * Cf3) / 10 ^ 6
Mr5 = (V * CC) / 10 ^ 6
'take the sum of moments acting on the cross section about the bottom of
the steel
NAinSteelFlange = Abs(Mr1 + Mr2 + Mr3 - Mr4 - Mr5)
End Function
Function NAinSteelWeb(Area As Double, Percentage As Double) As
Double
'Declare variables to calculate individual areas and their centroids
Dim x As Double
'distance from the top of top flange to
NA
Dim Af1 As Double
'Area of each flange (bottom flange)
Dim Cf1 As Double
'Centroid of bottom flange
Dim Aw1 As Double
'Area of web in compression
Dim Cw1 As Double
'centroid of web in compression
Dim Aw2 As Double
'Area of web in tension

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Dim Cw2 As Double


Dim Af2 As Double
Dim Cf2 As Double
Dim Cf3 As Double
compression
Dim V As Double
Dim CC As Double

Design of Steel-Concrete Composite Decks

'centroid of web in tension


'Area of the part of top flange in tension
'Centroid of tension part of top flange
'Centroid of part of top flange in
'Total shear force transferred
'Centroid of concrete in compression

Af1 = tf * bf
Cf1 = tf / 2
Af2 = tf * bf
Cf2 = d - (tf / 2)
x = (Area - Af1) / tw
Aw2 = tw * x
Cw2 = d - tf - (x / 2)
Aw1 = tw * (d - (2 * tf) - x)
Cw1 = tf + 0.5 * (d - (2 * tf) - x)
V = Qr * Percentage
'shear transferred in concrete is the
percentage of total Q
CC = t / 2 + d + h
Dim Mr1 As Double
Dim Mr2 As Double
Dim Mr3 As Double
Dim Mr4 As Double
Dim Mr5 As Double
'Calculate each individual moment
Mr1 = (fi_s * fy * Af1 * Cf1) / 10 ^ 6
Mr2 = (fi_s * fy * Aw1 * Cw1) / 10 ^ 6
Mr3 = (fi_s * fy * Af2 * Cf2) / 10 ^ 6
Mr4 = (fi_s * fy * Aw2 * Cw2) / 10 ^ 6
Mr5 = (V * CC) / 10 ^ 6
'take the sum of moments acting on the cross section about the bottom of
the steel
NAinSteelWeb = Abs(Mr1 + Mr2 - Mr3 - Mr4 - Mr5)

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End Function
Public Function MomentInertia() As Double
Dim n As Double
Dim btr As Double
Dim dweb As Double
Dim y As Double
Dim c As Double
Dim ybar As Double
n = Es / 4500 / Sqr(fc)
btr = beff / n
dweb = d - 2 * tf
y = (t * btr * (d + h + t / 2) + AreaSteel() * d / 2) / (AreaSteel() + btr * t)
If y > d Then
c = -AreaSteel() / btr / 3 + Sqr(AreaSteel() ^ 2 + 6 * btr * AreaSteel()
* (d / 2 + h + t)) / btr / 3
ybar = (c * btr * (d + h + t - c / 2) + AreaSteel() * d / 2) / (AreaSteel()
+ btr * c)
MomentInertia = 2 * bf * tf ^ 3 / 12 _
+ bf * tf * (ybar - tf / 2) ^ 2 _
+ tw * dweb ^ 3 / 12 _
+ tw * dweb * (d / 2 - ybar) ^ 2 _
+ bf * tf * (d - tf / 2 - ybar) ^ 2 _
+ btr * c ^ 3 / 12 _
+ btr * c * (d + t + h - c / 2 - ybar) ^ 2
Else
ybar = (t * btr * (d + h + t / 2) + AreaSteel() * d / 2) / (AreaSteel() +
btr * t)
MomentInertia = 2 * bf * tf ^ 3 / 12 _
+ bf * tf * (ybar - tf / 2) ^ 2 _

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+ tw * dweb ^ 3 / 12 + tw * dweb * (d / 2 - ybar) ^ 2 _


+ bf * tf * (d - tf / 2 - ybar) ^ 2 _
+ btr * t ^ 3 / 12 _
+ btr * t * (d + h + t / 2 - ybar) ^ 2
End If

End Function
Public Function SectionModulus()
Dim c As Double
c = d + h + t - ybar()
If ybar() > c Then
SectionModulus = MomentInertia() / ybar()
Else
SectionModulus = MomentInertia() / c
End If

End Function
Public Function ybar() As Double
Dim n As Double
Dim btr As Double
Dim dweb As Double
Dim y As Double
Dim c As Double

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End Function

n = Es / 4500 / Sqr(fc)
btr = beff / n
y = (t * btr * (d + h + t / 2) + AreaSteel() * d / 2) / (AreaSteel() + btr * t)
If y > d Then
c = -AreaSteel() / btr / 3 + Sqr(AreaSteel() ^ 2 + 6 * btr * AreaSteel()
* (d / 2 + h + t)) / btr / 3
ybar = (c * btr * (d + h + t - c / 2) + AreaSteel() * d / 2) / (AreaSteel()
+ btr * c)
Else
ybar = (t * btr * (d + h + t / 2) + AreaSteel() * d / 2) / (AreaSteel() +
btr * t)
End If

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