A New Design Method for Continuous Composite Beams

The behaviour of continuous composite beams is influenced by a considerable number of parameters, which describe the span and support sections, and the arrangement of loads and spans. The ability of current design methods to allow for these parameters is assessed in this article, with specific reference to the rules proposed in Eurocode 4. It has been found that all the relevant parameters can be represented by either available or required rotation capacity, and a new design method is presented which is based on these two parameters.