Performance of partially encased beams at elevated and room temperature

Partially-Encased Beams (PEB) are elements in which the web of the steel section is encased by reinforced concrete. They are usually built-up with I-Shape or H-shape steel sections. These elements are casted in the floor, and once the concrete has cured, section behaves with composite action. Concrete between flanges increases fire-resistance, load bearing and stiffness, without enlarging the overall size of the cross section in comparison to steel sections. These advantages outweigh the increased self-weight of the element. Partially encased beams (PEB) have been widely tested at room temperature, but only a small number of experiments under fire conditions are reported [1]. Authors developed several tests using short beam lengths. This paper presents a new set of experimental bending tests, using large beams, to determine the performance of PEB under bending. Bending resistance is also compared to stand alone steel bare section.

VIVO