Creep and shrinkage analysis of curved composite beams with partial interaction

This paper investigates the time-dependent creep and shrinkage behaviour of horizontally curved steel–concrete composite beams, including the partial interaction existing between the concrete deck and the steel girder. The flexibility of the shear connection in the radial direction, as well as in the tangential direction at the steel and concrete interface, are taken into account in the proposed formulation. The creep and shrinkage effects of the concrete deck including concrete aging effects are considered by using the analytic Age-adjusted Effective Modulus Method (AEMM). This method is efficient in converting the creep analysis into pseudo-elastic analysis. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach is validated by comparing its results with available experimental results reported in the literature and those based on a more sophisticated but computationally less efficient ABAQUS shell finite element model. The effects of initial curvature and partial interaction on the time-dependent behaviour of curved composite beams under serviceability conditions are also elucidated and the slip effect due to warping is examined.