Research in Canada on steel-concrete composite floor systems: An update

This paper briefly summarizes the results of recent experimental research carried out in Canada on steel-concrete composite floor systems. Most of test programs were conducted at the University of Saskatchewan and involved the testing of full size composite beams and numerous push-out specimens. The first of the investigations, which involved 85 push-out specimens and 6 full size beams, led to the development of a new equation that can be used to calculate the shear capacity of a headed stud in narrow ribbed metal deck directly without having to use the current reduction factor formula. The new equation was found to provide much better correlation to test results than CSA and Eurocode 4 provisions. The experimentally determined ultimate flexural capacity of the six full size beam specimens agreed reasonably well with the predicted values based on the proposed equation. This equation has recently been incorporated in the latest edition of the Canadian Standard. In another investigation, a statistical analysis of 52 push-out specimens with solid slabs resulted in a new equation that was found to be more reliable compared to the current CSA and AISC provisions which are insensitive to important variables such as stud spacing and transverse reinforcement. The latest experimental program involves the testing of 60 push-out specimens and four full size composite beams with wide ribbed parallel metal deck. A regression analysis of the test data of 44 push-out specimens yielded a new equation which, once again, gives much better predictions than those obtained using the current provisions. The experimentally determined ultimate flexural capacity of the four full size beam specimens agreed very well with the predicted values based on the proposed equation. The better results may be attributed to the fact that the proposed equation takes into account the effects of longitudinal and transverse stud spacing and w(d)/h(d) ratio of the metal deck.