Vibrations of steel-concrete composite beams

This paper is an experimental analytical investigation on the dynamic behav ior of steel-concrete composite beams subject to small vibrations. A one-di mensional model of a composite beam is presented, where the elements connec ting the steel beam and the reinforced concrete slab are described by means of a strain energy density function defined throughout the beam axis. The problem of small vibrations of the system is formulated and solved through an analytical procedure where a coupling between longitudinal and transvers al motions, due to the presence of the connection, takes place. The analyti cal model is used with a view to interpreting a series of dynamic tests per formed on composite beams whose connections have different linear densities . Experimental results proved consistent with theoretical estimates and all owed the identification of some important physical parameters of the system and the characterization of the connection.