Experimental and theoretical studies on composite steel–concrete box beams with external tendons

Composite steel–concrete box beams with and without external tendons were tested to their ultimate strength. The effects of external tendons on structural performance of composite steel–concrete beams were investigated in detail. Experimental results proved that, due to the action of external prestressing tendons, the ultimate strength of a composite steel–concrete box beam increased by 27.72%, the elastic limit of a composite steel–concrete box beam increased by 29.17%, the stiffness of a composite steel–concrete box beam increased by 54.15% at the failure state, and the deflection ductility of a composite steel–concrete box beam increased by 18.00%. The equation for estimating the stress in external prestressing tendons is established according to the relationship between the stress in external tendons, and the maximum compressive strain of concrete slab. Based on experimental results, a theoretical model for predicting the flexural resistance of composite steel–concrete box beam with external tendons is proposed. The spatial integral method, which adopts the actual stress distribution, is more rational than the conventional equilibrium rectangular stress block model, and is adopted to calculate the interior force on sections. The calculated flexural resistance based on proposed equations has a high level of accuracy, when compared with test results. Experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated that the composite steel–concrete box beam with external tendons is a promising innovative structure that combines the merits of composite steel–concrete box beams and external prestressing tendons.