Composite beams, made up of a concrete slab and steel in the IPE steel section, are commonly used in bridges and buildings. Their main function is to enhance structural efficiency by merging the compressive strength of concrete with the tensile resistance of steel, thereby improving overall stiffness, ductility, and load-bearing capacity. This study offers an extensive review of the flexural behavior of steel-concrete composite beams, focusing on the interplay of concrete strength, shear connector types, and interaction levels in determining structural performance. It integrates experimental and numerical research to analyze critical parameters, including load-deflection behavior, shear transfer efficiency, and crack propagation at the steel-concrete interface. The study emphasizes the effect of concrete compressive strength, particularly in ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) and lightweight concrete, on stiffness, ductility, and load-bearing capacity while reducing self-weight and enhancing sustainability. The study revealed that fully bonded shear connectors, using CFRP sheets and welded plates, enhance flexural capacity and stiffness. In contrast, partial bonding or pre-debonding reduces performance due to crack propagation. Indented and hot-rolled U-section connectors enhance interaction and minimize slip, while uniform distribution of shear connectors optimizes load capacity and stiffness. Lightweight concrete decreases slab weight without compromising performance, and high-performance materials such as ECC, SFRC, and UHPFRC improve strength and ductility. Numerical modeling, particularly finite element methods, and higher-order beam theories validate experimental results, providing accurate tools for predicting structural behavior under various loading and environmental conditions.
This study introduce a review on structural behavior of different structural elements such as beams, slabs, column….etc, under different type of loading. Through this review one can see the effectiveness of using ferrocement in casing slabs, beams subjecting to bending or impact load. Also the ferrocement make an essential role in strengthening of damage columns and beams.
The influence of concrete mixing water quality on the compressive strength of concretes was investigated in this study. During the study, the compressive strength (CS) of the concretes was determined at 7, 14, and 28 days age. This study used 8 types of water of varying qualities as concrete mixing water (water with 71 UTN impurity level, water with 250 UTN impurity level, water with 1000 UTN impurity level, well-sourced water, acidified water, and alkaline water). Potable water was used as reference water. The results indicated that the lowest CS has been obtained by using alkaline water at a concrete age of 7 days while the usage of water with 250 UTN impurity level as a concrete mixing water yielded the highest CS. in addition, the lowest CS has been obtained when using a mixing water of alkaline at a concrete age of 14 days while the highest CS resulted from using water with 71 and 250 UTN impurities levels. Furthermore, the usage of water with 71 UTN impurities level and an acidic water as a concrete water mixing gave the lowest CS at twenty eight days concrete age, while using magnetic water and water with 250 UTN impurities as concrete mixing water resulted in the highest CS. The use of water with 250 UTN impurities as concrete mixing water favored CS development at all concrete ages. These obtained results have shown a various effects of different impurities which significantly indicate that only a few water impurities affect the concrete’s CS seriously..