Chen

http://www.paper.edu.
cn
Journal of Constructional Steel Research 61 (2005) 1613–1630
www.elsevier.com/locate/jcsr
Experimental study of prestressed steel–concrete

composite beams with external tendons for
negative moments
Shiming Chen∗
Institute of Structural Engineering and Disaster Reduction, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Received 7 December 2004; accepted 3 May 2005
Abstract
Four groups of prestressed steel–concrete composite beams with external tendons in negative
moment regions were tested, and the cracking behaviours and the ultimate negative moment
resistances of the composite beams were investigated experimentally. It is found that in hogging
moment regions, on adding prestressing to the composite beams with external tendons, the cracking
resistance of the beams can be effectively increased; however, the incremental internal tendon forces
of the prestressed composite beams are rather small, and therefore can be neglected in the evaluation
of the negative moment resistance of the beams. In hogging moment regions, the ultimate resistance
of a composite beam prestressed with external tendons is governed by either distortional lateral
buckling or local buckling, or an interactive mode composed of the two bucklings. For a beam with a
compact section, the negative bending moment can reach the plastic moment when the steel section
is fully plastic, and for a non-compact section, the negative bending moment is limited to the yield
moment at which the compression steel flange initiates yield. The method for evaluating the buckling
resistance of the composite beams is discussed, and a tentative design method based on BS5400: Part
3 is proposed to assess the buckling resistances of the prestressed composite beams.
© 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: External prestress; Continuous composite beam; Distortional buckling
∗ Corresponding address: Tongji University, School of Civil Engineering, No. 1239, Siping Road, Shanghai,
China.
E-mail address: chensm@mail.tongji.edu.cn.
0143-974X/$ - see front matter © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jcsr.2005.05.005
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1614 S. Chen / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 61 (2005) 1613–1630
Nomenclature
A area (mm2 )
B breadth of slab (mm)
E elastic modulus (N/mm2 )
H thickness of slab (mm)
I moment of inertia of area (mm4 )
L span length (mm)
N internal force of tendons (kN)
M bending moment (kN m)
P strut force (kN)
W section, modular (mm3 )
b width of steel flange (mm)
d depth or height (mm)
f strength (N/mm2 )
l length of tendon, length of strut (mm)
r radius of gyration (mm)
t thickness (mm)
β modified slenderness
δ transverse flexibility (mm/kN)
ε strain (µε)
λ slenderness
η coefficient relating to the moment gradient
ν coefficient of the shape of the composite section
σ stress (N/mm2 )
Subscripts
bot bottom flange
c concrete, in compression
crack cracked
cr critical
cp related to plastic in compression
d design
e effective
f flange
l lateral buckle
S. Chen / Journal of Constructional Steel Research 61 (2005) 1613–1630 1615
Nomenclature
li limit
LT related to critical stress
p prestressed tendon, plastic
r reinforcement
s steel
top top flange
w web
y yield
u ultimate state
z vertical axis of the steel section
1. Introduction
Prestressed composite beams have been used in building and bridge construction for
years—since the last century for years. Composite steel–concrete beams prestressed with
high strength external tendons have demonstrated many advantages as compared with plain
composite beams. Both simple and continuous beams can be prestressed. In the positive
moment region, the beam is normally prestressed along the steel bottom flange before the
concrete slab is cast. In the negative moment region, the steel beam and the concrete slab
can be prestressed either separately or jointly along the top flange. This places the concrete
in compression, prevents cracking under service loads, and increases the stiffness of the
beams.
Limited experimental results were reported in the literature on the behaviour of
prestressed composite beams subjected to negative bending moments. Ayyub et al. [1,
2] tested five prestressed composite beams exposed to negative bending moments, and
developed an analytical model based on the incremental deformation method for predicting
the yield and ultimate load capacities of the prestressed composite beams. In their tests,
each specimen was laterally restrained with discrete bracing along the span at the bottom
flange (in compression) level to prevent lateral buckling in the beam, and reasonably good
correlations between analytical and experimental results were obtained. The test results
showed the positive aspects of adding prestressing to the concrete slabs in negative moment
regions—such as: increasing the stiffness by preventing the cracking of concrete under
service loads; enlarging the elastic range. However, exerting prestress on a composite
beam will increase the axial compressive force in the beam, which would lead to a high
compression depth in the steel web, make the beam vulnerable to buckling, and reduce
the moment rotation capacity of the cross-section. Lateral buckling, which may govern the
ultimate capacity of the composite beams in the negative moment region, should also have
an influence on the external axial prestressing; however, it was restricted to occurring with
discrete bracing in their tests.
Restrained by a stiff concrete slab on the steel top flange, the steel component in the
negative moment region would be prone to buckling, which governs the ultimate failure
of the beam. The modes of buckling in a continuous beam in negative bending may be
local or overall. Overall buckling is now more frequently termed distortional buckling,
since the bottom flange, which is in compression and restricted only by the stiffness of the
web, buckles sideways and twists. This mode of distortional buckling does not involve the
usual Vlasov assumption that the cross-section remains undistorted. A series of inverted
U-frame beam tests were carried out in Warwick University (by Johnson and Fan [3] and
Johnson and Chen [4]) to investigate the distortional lateral buckling failure of continuous
composite beams. Each test specimen was designed as an inverted U-frame, a portion of
a floor-beam system in a building or a deck-beam system in a bridge. The cross-sections
were classified as class 2 and class 3 in accordance with the definition of EUROCODE
4 [5]. It was indicated that the lateral distortional buckling resistance of a composite beam
could be well predicted using the EUROCODE 4 method.
In this study, two composite steel–concrete beams prestressed with external tendons
were tested under exposure to negative bending moments. By altering the negative moment
span, each beam was tested twice. The objective of the experimental program was to study
the effects of the external prestressing, cross-section compactness, and span of the negative
moment region on the structural performance of the prestressed composite beams with
external tendons in negative moment regions. With the prestressing force as an external
load in addition to the exerted vertical load, a tentative design approach is proposed in
accordance with the BS5400: Part 3 [6] method, for evaluating the distortional lateral
buckling resistance of the prestressed composite beams, and the predicted distortional
lateral buckling moments are compared with the test results.
2. Test specimens and arrangements
2.1. Test specimens and cross-section classification
Local buckling of a composite beam undergoing negative bending is closely linked

to the width/thickness ratio of the steel flange and depth/thickness ratio of the web in
compression of the steel beam. A classification of the cross-sections is used to identify the
stress level attained and the stress distribution over the cross-section when local buckling
initiates. For instance, full yielding can develop through the cross-section before local
buckling occurs if the slenderness is small or the cross-section is compact, whereas for a
non-compact section, or if the slenderness is large, local buckling initiates before yielding
occurs in the beam. In EUROCODE 4 [5], composite beams are classified as plastic
sections (Class 1), compact sections (Class 2), non-compact sections (Class 3) and slender
sections (Class 4). The maximum moments to hogging bending are assumed to be: the
plastic moment M p for class 1 and class 2 sections; an elastic moment normally governed
by yielding of the steel bottom flange, M y , for a class 3 section; and a critical moment
lower than the yield moment for a class 4 section.
To investigate the buckling behavior of composite beams prestressed with external
tendons, two beams exposed to negative moments were studied in the present study. The
slendernesses of the steel flanges in compression are the same for the two beams and are
(a) Hogging moment region of a continuous beam.
(b) Cross-section.
Fig. 1. Composite beam exposed to a negative moment and the beam cross-section.
classified as class 1 as defined in EUROCODE 4 [5], but the slendernesses of steel webs
are near the boundary between class 2 and class 3. Beam BH1 had a compact section, and
beam BH2 had a non-compact section, and each beam was simply supported for negative
moment loading to simulate a part (portion BCD) exposed to a negative bending moment
adjacent to an internal support of a continuous composite beam, as shown in Fig. 1.
Each specimen consisted of a concrete slab, a welded steel plate girder and two
prestressing tendons. The total length of the beams was 5150 mm. A pair of bearing
stiffeners were attached to the steel beam at the mid-span section under the concentrated
load position for each beam. The longitudinal steel reinforcements in the concrete slab
for the beams are provided 30 mm away from the top surface of the concrete slab. The
transverse reinforcements for both beams were deformed bars, 8 mm in diameter, and at
200 mm spacing. The measured dimensions of the test specimens are given in Table 1.
Two rows of 16 mm diameter by 65 mm long shear studs were welded to the top flange,
with a transverse spacing of 70 mm symmetric with respect to the centerline of the top
flange and a longitudinal spacing of 500 mm on one half-length of the beams; on the other
half-length, one row of the same studs were welded to the top flange with a longitudinal
spacing of 250 mm, as shown in Fig. 1. Full shear connection was achieved for beam BH1,
but only partial connection for beam BH2, in accordance with BS5400: Part 5 [7].
Table 1
Dimensions of specimens
Specimen Bc (mm) Hc (mm) btop (mm) ttop (mm) dw (mm) tw (mm) bbot (mm) tbot (mm) Ar (mm2 )
BH1 1000 90 120.5 9.5 250.1 5.7 121.5 11.7 1629

BH2 1000 90 121.7 9.9 448.8 5.7 121.6 11.9 2453
Note: Ar is the area of the longitudinal steel reinforcement.
Table 2
Mechanical properties of materials (unit: N/mm2 )
Element fy fu f cu ft
Steel web 492.6 593.6 – –

Steel flange 327.7 406.5 – –
Concrete – – 41.0 2.39
Strands 1680 1860 – –
The two beams were designed with two 7φ5 high strength strands, each having a
nominal cross-section of 137.4 mm2 (A p ). The strands were anchored at the two end
plates (25 mm thick) of the beams, 30 mm below the bottom of the concrete slab, and
were extended, straight, on both sides of the web along the full length of the steel beam.
A concrete mix with a specified design compressive strength of 30 N/mm2 was used.
The measured mean compressive strengths of five cubes at 30 days after the casting of the
concrete are given in Table 2. The tensile strengths of the concrete listed in Table 2 are the
specified characteristic tensile strengths, used in the prediction of the cracking resistance
of the specimens. The mean tensile properties of two groups of three coupon samples cut
from the web and the flange of the beams are also summarized in Table 2. The elongation
of the steel was 24 (for web) and 28 (for flanges). The tensile properties of the strands are
the nominal values provided by the supplier, as given in Table 2.
2.2. Instrumentation and testing rigs
The specimens were instrumented for the purpose of measuring deflections, end
rotation, strains across the depth, prestress force increase, applied load, and slips between
the steel girder and the concrete slab.
All strain gages were placed 150 mm away from the mid-span, which is the point of
load application. For each specimen, three reinforcing bars each with a strain gage were
embedded in the concrete slab. Four strain gages were bonded along the depth of the steel
web, and on the bottom flanges two strain gages were installed as a pair, in such a way that
mean compression strains as well as the in-plane bending strains (as a result of possible
lateral buckling at high loads) could be picked up. The two pairs of strain gages were
mounted on the prestressing strands which were calibrated against the force acting on the
strands before each test.
To simulate the negative moment region over the internal support between the
contraflexure points of a continuous beam, specimens were inverted such that the concrete
Fig. 2. Test rigs and instrumentation.
slab was at the bottom, resting on the supporting edges (shown in Fig. 2). The beams were
tested by applying a single concentrated load from the top at the mid-span and simply
supported, and no lateral supports or bracings were provided to the compression flange
along the span and at the supporting sections.
The deflections were measured by three displacement transducers located underneath
the bottom of the concrete slab at the mid-span, 1/4 span and 3/4 span of the beam. The
deflections at both ends were also recorded. End rotations were measured using one pair of
displacement transducers attached to the top and the bottom flange of the beam at each end.
Another two displacement transducers were used to detect the longitudinal slips between
the steel beam and the concrete slab at the two ends of each beam.
The test rigs are shown in Fig. 2, and the load was exerted on the test specimen with a
200 kN hydraulic jack. All electric digital data were collected using a Solartron 3595 data
logger, controlled by a PC computer.
2.3. Prestressing
After the concrete had sufficiently hardened, prestressing was exerted via two external
seven-wire strands to each specimen. The initial prestress force of each strand (N0 /2) was
119.5 kN for specimen BH1 and 120.3 kN for specimen BH2.
3. Testing program and results
By altering the negative moment span, each specimen was tested twice. For specimen
BH1, with a negative moment span of 5 m in the first test, the beam was loaded up and the
test stopped when distortional lateral buckling initiated in the compression flanges. Then
the beam was unloaded and the span between the supports was adjusted from 5 to 3 m for
Fig. 3. Moment–strain curves of the steel rebars in concrete slabs (L = 5 m).
the second test. For specimen BH2, the negative moment span in the first test was 5 and
3.6 m in the second test.
In the all tests, the beams initiated in a distortional lateral buckling mode, and failed at
the ultimate limit state, governed by local buckling. There appeared a substantial increase
in magnitude of the ultimate resistance when the span was reduced.
3.1. Specimen BH1
(Test 1: span L = 5 m) The first crack appeared transversely across the bottom surface
of the concrete slab (as an inverted T beam) in the mid-span when the mid-span moment
due to the applied load was 49.5 kN m, and abrupt changes in strains of steel reinforcements
of the concrete slab were observed, as shown in Fig. 3. As the load continuously increased,
the subsequent cracks were observed immediately adjacent to the first crack, and the
spacing of the cracks was between 150 and 200 mm. The out-plane distortion in the web
next to the mid-span section was found, and the in-plane bending strain induced by lateral
buckling was picked up in the compression flange when the mid-span moment reached
125.7 kN m. The yield occurred in the compression flange when the mid-span moment
was 165.2 kN m. The specimen was loaded up to the maximum moment of 194 kN m in
test 1, when significant in-plane bending in the compression flange appeared, as shown
in Fig. 4. After the beam was unloaded, there was a portion of the residual out-of-plane
bending strain in the compression flange; however, the cracks in the concrete slab were all
enclosed.
The second test was carried out when the span between the supports was adjusted down
to 3 m. Since the concrete slab of the specimen had already cracked during the first test, the
beam behaved linearly, as shown by the moment–deflection curve (Fig. 6), as it was loaded
up. The lateral buckling in the compression flange initiated, accompanied with more severe
lateral web distortion, and local buckling in the bottom flange near the mid-span section,
when the mid-span moment was up to 229.4 kN m. It appeared that the direction of lateral
buckling initiated in the compression flange in test 2 was opposite to that appearing in
Fig. 4. Moment–in-plane bending strain curves of the compression flanges.
Fig. 5. BH1: Residual deformation caused by local buckling in the web/the compression flange.
test 1, as shown in Fig. 4. Residual deformation caused by local buckling in the web and
in the compression flange can be observed, as shown in Fig. 5.
3.2. Specimen BH2
(Test 1: span L = 5 m) The first transverse crack was observed in the bottom surface
of the concrete slab (as an inverted T section) at the mid-span section when the mid-span
moment was about 110 kN m. The subsequent cracks appeared parallel and immediately
adjacent to the first crack at a spacing of about 200 mm in the surfaces of the concrete
slab as the load gradually increased. The lateral buckling of the beam was detected by
measuring the in-plane bending strain in the compression flange located 150 mm away
Fig. 6. Moment–deflection curves of the specimens at the mid-span section.
from the mid-span section when the mid-span moment was 270.8 kN m, as shown in
Fig. 4. The bottom flange near the mid-span yielded when the mid-span moment was
321.1 kN m. The maximum moment attained in test 1 was 378.8 kN m, at which obvious
lateral movement in the compression flange and severe outward distortion in the web were
observed. The beam was then unloaded, and the cracks in the concrete slab appeared to be
all enclosed.
The span between the supports was adjusted down to 3.6 m and the beam was reloaded.
In the second test, though the span was reduced, the maximum mid-span moment attained
was 350.8 kN m, which was lower than that when the span was 5 m. It is noticed that in the
first test, the distortional lateral buckling occurred accompanied with outward distortion
and local buckling in the web but not in the compression flange, and most of the distortion
was recovered when the beam was unloaded. In the second test, the in-plane bending in the
compression flange increased with increase of the applied load, owing to the initial lateral
geometrical configuration of the flange as a result of the residual lateral deformation in the
compression flange occurring in the first test. The web distortion also increased with the
applied load. The lateral buckling initiated when the mid-span moment was 290.3 kN m,
and local buckling was found in the compression flange close to the mid-span.
Fig. 3 shows the strains of the longitudinal reinforcing bars in the concrete slabs varying
with the mid-span moment in the first test of each specimen. As the cracks initiated in
the concrete, shedding stress to the steel reinforcement, the strains of the reinforcing bars
appeared to be abruptly increasing. Fig. 4 illustrates four in-plane bending strain curves
for the compression flanges measured in each test of the individual specimens; lateral
buckling initiated in the compression flange was recognized for each test. There appeared
a substantial increase in the mid-span moment for the distortional lateral buckling when
the span was reduced. The four moment–deflection curves for specimens BH1 and BH2
recorded in each test are illustrated in Fig. 6.
The internal forces of the tendons varying with the mid-span moments for specimen
BH1 and BH2 are illustrated in Fig. 7. For specimen BH1, it appeared that the internal
Fig. 7. Moment–tendon force curves of the specimens.
forces of the tendons decreased with the applied load before the cracking in the concrete
slab, so the increment of the prestress force was negative. After the concrete slab cracked,
internal forces of the tendons increased with the applied load. This phenomenon reflects
the position of the neutral axis of the composite section (specimen BH1) shifting upward
after cracking in the concrete slab (in the inverted T sections). For both specimens, after
concrete cracking, the increase in the internal forces appeared greater than that in the
uncracked state. However, the incremental portions of the internal forces were rather small,
as compared with the absolute values of the initial prestressing forces, basically due to the
small eccentricity from the position of the prestressed strands to the neutral axes of the
composite section, restricted by the configuration, for most of the composite beams in
negative moment regions.
In all tests, the slips between the steel beam and the concrete slab at the ends of the
specimens were less than 0.1 mm.
4. Comparisons and discussion
To determine the stresses in the composite beams in the elastic region, assume a linear
strain distribution through the full depth of the composite section, and no slip between
the slab and beam. The cross-section properties of the prestressed composite beams are
computed by transforming concrete area into equivalent steel area using the modular ratio
n (n = E s /E c , E s is elastic modulus of the steel and E c is elastic modulus of the concrete)
before cracking of the concrete. The stress due to the applied load and prestressing force
at the top surface of the concrete slab is given by
M Ne N
σc = yc + yc − (1)
nI nI nA
and the stress at the compression flange of steel beam is given by
M Ne N
σf = ybot + ybot + (2)
I I A
Table 3
Comparison of test results with the calculations
Test No Span L (m) Test results Calculation for composite beams

Prestressed Non-prestressed
Mcrack,t Ml,t M y,t Mmax,t Mcrack My Mcrack My
(kN m) (kN m) (kN m) (kN m) (kN m) (kN m) (kN m) (kN m)
BH1 test 1 5.0 49.5 125.7 165.2 194.0 48.6 155.2 30.3 174.2
BH1 test 2 3.0 – 229.4 165.2 235.4 48.6 155.2 – –
BH2 test 1 5.0 110.0 270.8 321.1 378.8 114.2 340.8 63.5 344.2
BH2 test 2 3.6 – 290.3 321.1 350.8 114.2 340.8 – –
where M = moment due to applied load; I = moment of inertia of composite section;

an uncracked transformed section is used before the concrete cracking, and a cracked
transformed section neglecting the concrete portion but including the steel reinforcement
is used after concrete cracking; yc and ybot = distance from centroid to extreme fibre of
the concrete slab and the compression steel flange respectively; A = transformed area of
the uncracked composite section; N is the prestressing force; and e = eccentricity of the
tendon from the centroid of the composite section.
Because the incremental portions of the internal forces were rather small, as compared
with the absolute values of the initial prestressing forces, for simplicity in analysis, the
increment of the internal forces in the tendons is neglected, and N is equal to the initial
prestressing force applied. After cracking in concrete, the tensile force in the concrete
flange is shedding to the longitudinal steel reinforcement. For composite beams undergoing
negative bending, there are also yield moments at which the steel reinforcing bars yield,
but they do not govern the strengths of the beams in the tests.
The cracked moments Mcrack of the cross-sections for BH1 and BH2 are calculated,
and they are compared with the measured cracked moments at which cracking occurs
in the concrete slabs for both specimens BH1 and BH2, as given in Table 3. The
corresponding calculated yield moments at which the compression steel flanges yield are
also listed. Calculations of Mcrack and M y are based on Eqs. (1) and (2), with the specified
characteristic tensile strength of concrete f t = 2.39 N/mm2 and the yield strength of
steel for steel flange, f y = 327.7 N/mm2 , given in Table 3. As the concrete slabs of each
specimen in the second tests were already cracked, no cracked moments were measured for
the second tests. In Table 3, Ml,t is the measured mid-span moment at which distortional
lateral buckling initiated in the compression flange near the mid-span of the beams, M y,t is
the mid-span moment at which the compression flange yielded, and Mmax,t is the maximum
moment reached in the tests.
For comparison, the calculated cracked/yield moments of plain composite sections
without prestressing are also listed in Table 3. Comparison of the two cases shows that
a substantial increase in the cracked moment resistance can be achieved by adding axial
prestressing with the external tendons. The cracked moment resistance was increased by
60% and 80% for specimens BH1 and BH2 respectively. Due to the compression stress
induced by the axial prestressing forces, the yield moment of the prestressed composite
sections at which the compression flanges initiate yielding is slightly lower than that when
the composite beam is not prestressed.
The measured cracked moments for both specimens BH1 and BH2 agreed well with
the predicted values. In all tests, specimens BH1 and BH2 failed in the distortional lateral
buckling mode. By changing the span between the supports from test 1 to test 2 for each
specimen, the prestressed composite beams with different lengths of negative moment
regions were investigated. It was found that for specimen BH1, the buckling moment
increased from 125.7 to 229.4 kN m as the span decreased from 5.0 to 3.0 m; however, for
specimen BH2, the buckling moment had only a slight increase from 270.8 to 290.3 kN m
as the span decreased from 5.0 to 3.6 m.
By using rigid plastic stress blocks, the plastic moment resistance of the section in
addition to the prestressing force can be determined. The full plastic moment resistance in
addition to the moment contributed by the eccentric prestressing force is 225.8 kN m for
specimen BH1 and 509.5 kN m for specimen BH2. The maximum moment that specimen
BH1 reached in test 2 was 235.4 kN m, which was higher than that in test 1 and also slightly
greater than the plastic moment resistance of the cross-section. Although the length of the
negative moment region of specimen BH2 in test 2 was shorter than that in test 1, the
maximum moment reached was 350.8 kN m, which however was lower than that reached
in test 1, but still slightly greater than the yield moment of the cross-section.
It was found that the calculated yield moments were about 6% higher than the tested
values for specimen BH2, but they were approximately 4% lower than the measured
values for specimen BH1. One explanation of this phenomenon is the occurrence of lateral
buckling in the compression flanges. The strains picked up in the test clarifying the yielding
were located at the compression flanges close to the loading section. When buckling
initiated in the compression flanges, the in-plane bending would govern the flanges, and
the assumption of a plane section should lead to failure to predict the yield moment of
the beam. As BH1 is more compact than BH2, the steel web and the steel flange distorted
less in BH1 than in BH2 when yield occurred in the compression flanges after initiation of
distortional buckling in both beams.
The critical buckling length of the distortional lateral bucking L cr for a continuous
composite beam is found approximately as [8]
0.75
0.25 dw
L cr = 3.74Iz (3)
tw
where dw is the depth of the steel web, tw is the thickness of the steel web, and Iz is the
second moment of the area of the steel section about the vertical axis z of the section.
On the basis of Eq. (3), L cr for specimen BH1 is 2588.6 mm, and L cr for specimen
BH2 is 4023.8 mm; both are greater than the length from the loading section to the support
section in the tests. BH1 is classified as a compact section. In the first test, when the span
of the beam was 5.0 m, the beam failed when the mid-span moment was 125.7 kN m, in
a distortional lateral buckling initiated at the compression steel flange. In the second test,
the supporting span was reduced to 3.0 m, leading to a steep moment gradient distribution,
which increased the lateral buckling resistance of the beam to 229.4 kN m—fully plastic
across the whole steel section—and it appeared that the failure of the beam would more
likely be governed by an interactive mode composed of the distortional lateral buckling and
the local buckling. BH2 is a non-compact section with a local buckling moment lower than
the yield moment at which the compression steel flange initiates yield. Altering the span
distance from 5 to 3.6 m had an effect on the gradient of moment distribution; the beam
(BH2) failed in lateral buckling of the compression steel flange, and this was accompanied
with severe out-of-plane web distortion, in both test 1 and test 2.
Test investigation demonstrated that for both specimens, lateral buckling initiated in
the compression flanges when substantial in-plane bending was detected. As they were
laterally restrained by the stiff concrete slab at the bottom steel flanges of the section
(inverted T section), the webs showed outward distortion and locally twisting. When local
buckling occurred in the steel web, the lateral restraints from the stiffer concrete slab on
the compression flange were significantly weakened, leading to the ultimate failure state
of an interactive buckling mode.
Analysis of the test results shows that adding prestressing with external tendons can
increase the cracked moment resistance of a composite beam, but not the yield moment
of the composite section in the negative moment region. For a composite beam exposed
to a negative moment, the strands will be arranged in the level immediately beneath the
concrete slab. If the strand positions are above the neutral axis, the eccentricity of the
external prestress will be small when the slab is not cracked. Axial compression and
compression bending caused by the external prestress in the concrete slab are in opposition
to the tensile stress caused by the exerted load with a negative moment, so the cracked
moment resistance of a beam increases. After the cracking of concrete, the neutral axis
of the section will move downward and the eccentricity of the prestress will increase;
however, the section modulus in the transformed cracked section noted decreases. This
normally leads to a stress increase in the compression steel flange as compared with the
composite beam without prestressing, so adding prestressing to the composite beam in the
negative moment region would not increase the yield moment at which the compression
flange yields. Distortional lateral buckling and local buckling or an interactive mode
composed of the two bucklings however will govern the ultimate moment of prestressed
composite beams in the negative moment region.
5. A tentative design method for evaluating distortional lateral buckling moment

resistance
Distortional lateral buckling of a continuous composite beam is characterized by lateral
buckling in the compression flange near the internal supports accompanied with out-
of-plane distortion in the web. Svensson [9] considered the compression flanges as an
elastically supported strut and obtained numerical solutions for the most common cases of
moment gradients and boundary conditions. Being based on elastic solutions, this method
does not account for the reduction in stiffness due to yielding and distortion in the web.
In a British method for composite bridges (BS5400: Part 3), calculation of the lateral
critical buckling stress of a continuous composite beam is related to the effective length of
the bottom flange, which is based on a laterally restrained strut. The limiting stress of the
compression flange σli is then deduced on the basis of the design chart Perry–Robertson
curves of struts relating to the inelastic properties, such as initial imperfections and residual
stress in the struts (Fig. 10, BS5400: Part 3).
Fig. 8. Lateral buckling model of a composite beam.
EUROCODE 4 presents a more sophisticated approach for assessing the critical

buckling moment. As it is described in terms of an elastic critical moment rather than the
critical stress in the compression flange, the method appears not directly applicable for a
prestressed composite beam in which the distortional lateral buckling should be influenced
by the axial force and the eccentric moment caused by the external prestressing force in
addition to the hogging moment due to the applied load. So only the BS5400 method is
commented on here, and it is used to assess the lateral buckling moment of the composite
beam prestressed with external tendons.
For a composite beam prestressed with external tendons, in addition to the loads exerted
on the beam, the actions of an eccentric axial compression force (N) and bending moment
(Ne) due to external prestressing should be considered. Since the increment of the external
tendon forces of a prestressed composite beam in negative moment regions is rather small,
to assess the critical buckling moment of the prestressed composite beam the external
prestressing forces are simplified to a constant axial eccentric force exerted on the beam in
addition to the applied load.
In the negative moment region of a continuous composite beam, the bottom steel flange
is in compression with transverse elastic restraint from the steel web, the lateral buckling
of the composite beam is modeled as a lateral elastic restrained strut (as shown in Fig. 8),
and the elastic critical load of the compression flange is expressed as follows:

Pcr = 2 E s I f /δ (4)
where Pcr is the elastic critical load; E s is the elastic modulus of steel; I f is the second-
moment area of the steel compression flange about the vertical symmetric axis of the
section (I f = b3f t f /12); and δ is the transverse flexibility of the composite section, or
the lateral deflection which would occur, at the level of the centroid of the flange being
considered, when a unit force acts laterally, as shown in Fig. 8. For a T section composite
beam, δ is expressed as follows:
d13
δ= (5)
3E s I1
where I1 is the second-moment area of the steel web in unit length (I1 = tw3 /12); d1 is
distance from the centroid of the compression flange to the bottom of the concrete slab
(shown in Fig. 8).
Using the critical load of a strut expression given by the Euler equation (Pcr =
π 2 E s I f /le2 ), an effective length, denoted as le , of the compression flange can be derived.
Table 4
Lateral buckling load carrying capacity of prestressed composite beams
Specimen L/2 (mm) le (mm) η βLT σli / f y Mcr (kN m) N e (kN m) Md (kN m) Md /Ml
BH1: test 1 2500 2203 0.95 72.6 0.71 123.7 13.6 137.3 1.09
BH1: test 2 1500 2203 0.66 50.4 0.95 165.5 13.6 179.1 0.78
BH2: test 1 2500 3354 0.68 89.8 0.53 182.3 29.1 211.4 0.78
BH2: test 2 1800 3354 0.63 82.2 0.59 203.0 29.1 232.2 0.79
Notes: le is the effective length of the elastically restrained compression steel flange; η is the coefficient relating
to the hogging moment gradient.
In BS5400: Part 3, le is given as

le = 2.5k3(E s I f δ)0.25 (6)
where k3 is a coefficient relating to the rotational restraints at the supports. If the flange is
free to rotate in its plane, k3 = 1.0.
In designing, the initial imperfections and nonlinear effects of materials should be
considered. In BS5400: Part 3, this is solved by using Perry–Robertson curves for struts,
which are based on numerous test results for struts. λLT , a slenderness, is introduced as
le
λLT = k4 ην (7)
ry
where k4 is a coefficient relating to the steel section: for rolled I-sections and channels,
k4 = 0.9, and for other sections, k4 = 1.0; η is a coefficient relating to the moment
gradient: for pure bending, η = 1.0; ν is a coefficient describing the shape of the composite
section; and r y is the radius of gyration of the
steel section.
Using a modified slenderness, β = λLT f y /355 ( f y : yield strength of steel, N/mm2 ),
the buckling limiting stress σli can be obtained from the design curves provided in Fig. 10
of BS5400: Part 3.
It is proposed that the lateral buckling moment resistance of the prestressed composite
beam Md is a product of the limiting stress σli and the section modulus W for the bottom
compression flange, in addition to the moment induced by the eccentric prestressing force
expressed as follows:
Md = σli W + Ne. (8)
The lateral buckling moment resistances of test specimens in each test based on Eq. (8),
with the buckling limiting stress σli calculated by the method proposed in BS5400: Part
3, are given in Table 4. In Table 4, Mcr is the lateral buckling moment resistance of the
composite beams without the eccentric prestressing force.
In Table 4, η, a coefficient relating to the moment gradient, is determined in accordance
with Fig. 9 of BS5400: Part 3, based on the moment gradient along the length of le , other
than the length between the full restraints, as defined in the figure. Arguments could arise,
since there appear to be differences in between the restraints on the effective length region
of a composite beam and the full restraints defined in Fig. 9 of BS5400: Part 3. Comparing
with the test results, in the first test of BH1, the length of the hogging moment region
(L/2) is greater than the effective length le , and the calculated buckling moment is slightly
greater than the test result. However, if we replace le with L/2, the ratio σli / f y is 0.51 and
Md /Ml is 0.82. In the second test of BH1 and the tests on BH2, the length of the hogging
moment region (L/2) is less than its corresponding effective length le , and the calculated
buckling moment is about 0.78 of the test results.
One reason for the conservative predictions is that the slenderness in Eq. (7) is based
on the radius of gyration r y which is for the whole steel section, but the strut model of
lateral buckling accounts for the flange in compression. The contribution of the web in
compression may also be included in the assessment of the radius of gyration. Another
reason may be the influence of the compactness of the cross-section. If the cross-section
is sufficiently compact, and the lateral buckling moment is greater than the yield moment,
then W p , the plastic modulus for the composite section defined as W p = M p / f y , should be
used, where M p is the negative plastic moment resistance of the composite section and f y
is the yield strength of the steel beam, or that of the steel flange in compression if a welded
steel plate section is used.
The critical buckling length L cr based on Eq. (3) is 1.18 le for BH1 and 1.20 le for
BH2. To get a consistent prediction of the buckling resistance, it appears that when the
length of the hogging moment region is less than the effective length le , the distortional
lateral buckling resistance can be calculated on the basis of the available length of the
hogging moment region, but when the length undergoing hogging bending is greater than
the effective length le but less than L cr (say 1.2 le ), the length of the negative moment
region should still be adopted in the prediction of the buckling resistance.
The maximum moment reached for specimen BH1 (test 2) was approximately the
plastic moment at which the steel section is fully plastic, and the maximum moments of
specimen BH2 were between 1.03–1.11 of the yield moment at which the compression
flange initiated yield. It appeared that there was post-buckling strength for the prestressed
composite beams when distortional lateral bucking initiated. For a compact section (BH1),
the ultimate moment reached the plastic moment, and for a non-compact section, the
ultimate moment reached the yield moment—however, with substantial reduction in the
rotation capacity if buckling was taking place.
6. Conclusions
Four groups of prestressed composite beams exposed to a negative moment were tested,
and the cracking behaviours and the ultimate negative moment resistances of the composite
beams with external tendons were investigated experimentally.
For prestressing with external tendons, the cracked moment resistance of a composite
beam exposed to negative bending can be increased. In hogging moment regions, the
incremental internal tendon forces of prestressed composite beams are rather small, and
therefore they can be neglected in the evaluation of the negative moment resistance of the
beams. It appears that adding prestressing to the composite beams undergoing negative
bending will not always, as was expected, increase the yield moments of the beams at
which the compression steel flange initiates yield.
Taking the prestressing as an external load, the distortional lateral buckling moment of a
prestressed composite beam is assessed in terms of the lateral buckling moment resistance
defined in the BS5400: Part 3 method, in addition to the eccentric prestressing force. It
appears that when the length of the hogging moment region is less than the effective length
le , the buckling resistance can be calculated on the basis of the available hogging moment
length other than the effective length, but when the hogging moment region is greater than
the effective length le , but less than L cr , the length of the negative moment region should
still be adopted for a consistent prediction of the buckling resistance. The predicted lateral
buckling moments of the prestressed composite beams were about 20% overconservative
compared to the test results. There appeared to be post-buckling strength for the prestressed
composite beams when the distortional lateral bucking initiated.
In hogging moment regions, the ultimate load capacity of a composite beam prestressed
with external tendons is governed by either distortional lateral buckling or local buckling,
or an interactive mode composed of the two bucklings. For a beam with a compact section,
the ultimate moment for negative bending can reach the plastic moment when the steel
section is fully plastic, and for a non-compact section, the ultimate moment for negative
bending will be limited to the yield moment at which the compression steel flange initiates
yield. Whichever section is considered, the rotation capacity of the beam will be restricted
when buckling occurs.
Acknowledgements
This research was carried out with the assistance of financial grants from the Municipal
Traffic Administration of Central Guangzhou. The author acknowledges with thanks the
provision of steel work by Huaying Steel Work Company, and the assistance of the
technicians at the Building Structural Laboratory of Tongji University.
References
[1] Ayyub BM, Sohn YG, Saadatamanesh H. Prestressed composite girders I: Experimental study for negative
moment. J Struct Div, ASCE 1992;118(10):2743–62.
[2] Ayyub BM, Sohn YG, Saadatamanesh H. Prestressed composite girders II: Analytical study for negative
moment. J Struct Div, ASCE 1992;118(10):2763–83.
[3] Johnson RP, Fan CKR. Distortional lateral buckling of continuous composite beams. Proc Instrn Civ Engrs,
Part 2 1991;91(March):131–61.
[4] Johnson RP, Chen S. Instability of continuous composite plate girders with U-frame action. Proc Instrn Civ
Engrs, Structs Bldgs 1993;99(March):187–97.
[5] European Committee for Standarisation. EUROCODE 4 Design of composite steel and concrete structures.
Part 1.1: General rules and rules for buildings. Brussels: CEN; 1994. ENV1994-1-1.
[6] British Standards Institution. Steel, concrete and composite bridges. Code of practice for design of steel
bridge. London: BSI; 1982. BS5400: Part 3.
[7] British Standards Institution. Design of composite bridges. London: BSI; 1979. BS5400: Part 5.
[8] Lawson RM, Rackham JM. Design of hunched composite beams in buildings. Ascot: Steel Construction
Institute; 1989. Publication 060.
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axial force. J Constr Steel Res 1985;5:179–93.

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Experimental study of prestressed steel–concrete

Received 7 December 2004; accepted 3 May 2005

2. Test specimens and arrangements

2.1. Test specimens and cross-section classification

Local buckling of a composite beam undergoing negative bending is closely linked

(a) Hogging moment region of a continuous beam.

BH1 1000 90 120.5 9.5 250.1 5.7 121.5 11.7 1629

Steel web 492.6 593.6 – –

2.2. Instrumentation and testing rigs

Fig. 2. Test rigs and instrumentation.

3. Testing program and results

Fig. 3. Moment–strain curves of the steel rebars in concrete slabs (L = 5 m).

3.1. Specimen BH1

Fig. 4. Moment–in-plane bending strain curves of the compression flanges.

3.2. Specimen BH2

Fig. 6. Moment–deflection curves of the specimens at the mid-span section.

Fig. 7. Moment–tendon force curves of the specimens.

4. Comparisons and discussion

Test No Span L (m) Test results Calculation for composite beams

where M = moment due to applied load; I = moment of inertia of composite section;

5. A tentative design method for evaluating distortional lateral buckling moment

Fig. 8. Lateral buckling model of a composite beam.

EUROCODE 4 presents a more sophisticated approach for assessing the critical

In BS5400: Part 3, le is given as

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