ABSTRACT
This paper describes a novel analytical formulation to depict the behaviour of composite beams with partial shear interaction stiffened by a bolted longitudinal plate. The partial interaction behaviour is assumed to exist between the top slab and the joist as well as between the joist and the bolted longitudinal stiffening plate, therefore leading to a three-layered structural representation. The analytical formulation is derived by means of the principle of virtual work accounting for time effects. A novel finite element is then derived and its accuracy validated based on short- and long-term analyses for the particular cases of full shear interaction and partial shear interaction of two layers for which solutions in closed form are available in the literature. An application is presented to outline how the deflection varies for different combinations of the two shear connection stiffnesses. The values of the deflection obtained from the finite element simulations are then compared against those calculated using the effective flexural rigidity in accordance with EC5 guidelines for the behaviour of elastic multi-layered beams with flexible connection.
