Bending resistance of steel‐timber composite (STC) beams: analytical vs. numerical investigations

This contribution presents the results of analytical and numerical investigations of the ultimate bending resistance of simply supported steel‐timber composite beams with uniformly distributed load, they consist of three main components: (i) the laminated veneer lumber (LVL) slab, (ii) the downstand steel beam (IPE‐profile) connected by means of (iii) demountable shear connectors, which allow for deconstruction and circular reuse of the steel beam as well as the timber slab element. The mechanical properties of the cross‐banded LVL as well as the load‐slip curves of demountable shear connectors, which have been obtained experimentally, were implemented in both the analytical and numerical models. In this paper both solutions have been compared, first the ultimate bending resistance was calculated analytically through a strain‐controlled approach with various degrees of shear connection. Then, numerical simulations were conducted in the finite element software ABAQUS to determine the ultimate bending capacity and the load‐deformation behaviour. Finally, the results of both approaches are presented and compared.