Connection efficiency of wood-concrete structural floor system

Abstract

The wood-concrete research project uses medium to high density reclaimed tropical hardwoods from the Brazilian Amazon region and steel rods scraps from a construction site. The beams studied are composed of a bottom layer of staggered wood boards and a top layer of concrete. The wood members are laterally nailed together to form a wide beam, and horizontal rebar connectors are installed before the concrete layer is applied on top. Wood-concrete layered beams with horizontal rebar connectors were tested in third-point loading flexural bending. An improvement on the previously conceived connection detail for a composite wood-concrete structural floor system was achieved. The new layout of the horizontal rebar connectors added more strength and higher composite efficiency for the beams tested. Further analysis is suggested to optimize the connection parameters in terms of spacing and number of connectors. Composite wood-concrete decks can attend a large demand for pedestrian and road bridges in rural areas, as well as residential and commercial slabs. © (2014) Trans Tech Publications.