Introduction - Finite Element Analysis and Design of Steel and Steel-Concrete Composite Bridges - page 5

example of the shortcomings in current codes of practice for steel-concrete
composite bridges is that, up-to-date, there are no design provisions to
consider the actual load-slip characteristic curve of the shear connectors used
in the bridges, which results in partial degree of composite action behavior.
This topic will detail, for the first time, how to consider the correct and
actual slip occurring at the steel-concrete interface in composite bridges
through finite element modeling. This topic will highlight the latest numer-
ical investigations performed in the literature to generate more data, fill in
the gaps, and compensate the lack of data for steel and steel-concrete com-
posite bridges. This topic also highlights the use of finite element modeling
to improve and propose more accurate design guides for steel and steel-
concrete composite bridges, which are rarely found in the literature. In addi-
tion, this topic contains examples for finite element models developed for
different steel and steel-concrete composite bridges as well as worked design
examples for the bridges. The author hopes that this topic will provide the
necessary materials for all interested researchers in the field of steel and steel-
concrete composite bridges. Furthermore, the topic can also act as a useful
teaching tool and help beginners in the field of finite element analysis and
design of steel and steel-concrete composite bridges. The topic can provide
a robust approach for finite element analysis of steel and steel-concrete com-
posite bridges that can be understood by undergraduate and postgraduate
students.
The topic consists of seven well-designed chapters covering necessary
topics related to finite element analysis and design of steel and steel-concrete
composite bridges. This chapter provides a general background for the types
of steel and steel-composite bridge and explains the classification of bridges.
The chapter also presents a brief review for the components of the bridges
and how the loads are transmitted by the bridge to the ground. The chapter
also gives an up-to-date review for the latest available investigations carried
out on steel and steel-concrete composite bridges. The chapter focuses on
main issues and problems associated with the bridges and how they are han-
dled in the literature. The chapter also introduces the role of finite element
modeling to provide a better understanding of the behavior of bridges.
Finally, this chapter highlights the main current codes of practice used for
designing steel and steel-concrete composite bridges.
Chapter 2 focuses on the nonlinear material behavior of the main com-
ponents of steel and steel-concrete composite bridges comprising steel, con-
crete, reinforcement bars, shear connectors, etc. The chapter presents the
stress-strain curves of the different materials used in the bridges and defines