Analytical solutions for the time-dependent behaviour of composite beams with partial interaction

This paper presents a generic modelling for the time-dependent analysis of composite steel–concrete beams with partial shear interaction that occurs due to the deformation of the shear connection. The time effects considered in this modelling are those that arise from shrinkage and creep deformations of the concrete slab, and these effects are modelled using algebraic representations such as those of the age-adjusted effective modulus method (AEMM) and the mean stress method (MS), which are viscoelastic models for concrete deformation that can be stated algebraically. The generic model lends itself to closed form solutions for the analysis of composite beams subjected to a generic applied loading under a variety of end conditions. In this paper, the generic model is applied for the time-dependent analysis of composite beams that are simply supported and encastré, and to a propped cantilever, that are subjected to uniformly distributed loading and shrinkage deformations. Various representations of the structural behaviour of these beams are given in closed form which can also be used to benchmark available modelling techniques, i.e. finite element and finite difference formulations, which require a spatial discretisation to be specified as well as the time discretisation to perform a time analysis.