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This research paper offers an in‐depth comparative analysis focused on the long‐term durability of shear connectors fabricated from composite materials within a composite and concrete beam structure, extending over a length of six meters. To carry out this evaluation, the experiment employs a four‐point bending test designed to rigorously assess the performance and efficacy of two distinct types of tie straps utilized within the structure. The central element of this investigation, a composite beam integrated within a concrete deck, serves as the primary test specimen, providing a realistic and applicable context for the assessment. The overarching goal of this study is to meticulously examine and compare the resilience and resistance of these shear connectors when subjected to realistic, practical loading conditions. By doing so, the research aims to shed light on the critical performance characteristics of composite shear connectors, especially their role and effectiveness in enhancing the structural integrity and durability of composite and concrete beams in various structural applications. The outcomes of this study are expected to offer significant insights and contribute valuable knowledge to the field of structural engineering, particularly in understanding and improving the performance of composite shear connectors in structural frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the newest contributions to the science of bridges are steel-concrete composite bridges with encased perforated steel strips. Their main advantages are their low height, low usage of materials and therefore lower cost of the bridge. They are mainly used as short span railway bridges (under 20m of length). Main focus of today researchers and structural engineers in this area is to improve the geometry of the steel strip – and therefore find new types with lower usage of material and higher shear strength. At Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Civil Engineering, several new types have been developed and tested. In order to properly measure the shear strength, the push-out tests had to be carried. They track the dependence between load (typed by loading conditions) and slip. These experiments were performed at Laboratory of Excellent Research in Košice. In this article is closely described software modelling of a strip developed at Faculty of Civil Engineering, the experiments performed as well as the results found.

Deck bridges with encased steel beams are commonly used for short-spans bridge structures. This type of bridge structures minimizes steel consumption without significantly affecting the overall resistance of the structure [1 and 2]. The paper presents basic information and partial results from experimental research on composite steelconcrete deck bridges with different types of encased steel beams. The paper also provides an overview about the experimental program, the production process of the tested members, an explanation of the applied load and the measurement of monitored strains and deflections of the tested members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twentieth century brought a lot of forward‐moving inventions. In the field of bridges and structural engineering we could witness the birth of the first steel‐concrete composite bridges and their rapid development. In 1985, the perforated steel strips were officially introduced to the eyes of researchers by a patent from Wolfhardt Andrä. Encased in concrete to make composite bridges they have several advantages – low construction height, lower usage of steel in comparison with embedded I‐beams, etc. In practise, they are mainly used as short railway bridges due to their practicality during the construction works. Nowadays, many research groups all around the world focus on improving the above mentioned invention by tuning the geometry of the strips as well as the concrete dowels to increase its composite action. Such research is also currently running at the Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Civil Engineering, which developed five perforated steel strip types. The specimens are tested at Laboratory of Excellent Research and are modelled in software for finite element analysis (ABAQUS) to simulate the performed tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]