A contribution to understanding the influence of concrete cracking on timber concrete composite bridge beams

Despite of widely implemented advances in TCC bridge technology, there are still no satisfying design recommendations that consider the influence of concrete cracking on the distribution of forces and deformation. A research project at Universidad Austral de Chile studied several aspects of concrete cracking in TCC bridges with timber beams of greater depth than width using elastic dowel-type shear connectors. One of the results of concrete cracking is a reduction of the slip modulus of the connectors. This weakening was simulated in shear tests by a small gap between the timber and the concrete. A test calibrated FEM model was used for a parametric study of 120 different cases, most of which did not show concrete cracking. Where concrete cracking occurred, it caused an increase in the timber tensile stresses and beam deflection of up to 20 %. We conclude that concrete cracking occurs when the timber-concrete depth ratio is less than four times the cubic root of the effective flange width of the concrete slab.