Structural Behavior of Composite Floor System Using Cold-Formed Thin-Walled C Steel Channel Embedded Foam Concrete

Abstract

In this paper, a new composite floor system using cold-formed thin-walled C steel channel embedment and a foam concrete slab is developed. This new type of floor system features lightweight, high fire-resistant, and high anti-corrosion features, and can be used for multi-story buildings, providing a promising new alternative floor system for the construction market. Two four-point bending tests were carried out to investigate the flexural capacity and failure modes of this new type of composite slab. Based on the test results, a nonlinear finite element model was developed using general software package ABAQUS. The model is validated using the test results. Using this model, parametric studies were performed to study the key parameters affecting the structural behavior of this new type of composite floor system. Different parameters such as density of the foam concrete, grade of the cold-formed thin-walled C steel channel embedment, and spacing of the cold-formed thin-walled C steel channel were investigated. Their contributions to the overall moment capacity and their effect on the failure modes of this type of composite slab were discovered. Based on experimental results and FE results, design formulas for ultimate flexural capacity of this new type of composite slabs were also developed which can accurately predict their flexural capacity.