ABSTRACT
Recent research has resulted in the development of an effective composite flooring deck system which has enhanced the competitiveness of steelframed construction for high rise building. This chapter reviews this research, describes the structural behaviour of the flooring deck, outlines its advantages and those factors that influence its design. The three phases of the structural action that must be considered by the designer, identified as the construction stage behaviour, the composite slab behaviour and the composite beam behaviour, are discussed. Present design procedures, which are partly empirical, are described and, by comparisons with test results, are shown to be conservative in some instances.
