Experimental study on the shear strength of partially-encased composite beams with corrugated webs

The partially-encased composite beam with a corrugated web (CWPEC) is an improved composite member, which combines the respective advantages of traditional partially-encased composite beams and corrugated web beams. However, understanding on the shear performance of such beams is still quite limited, leading to a lack of shear strength design methods. The shear behavior of CWPEC beams was investigated through experimental studies and finite element (FE) analysis. The effects of shear span-to-depth ratios and link diameters on load-bearing capacity, failure modes, and ductility were systematically analyzed. The experimental results showed that CWPEC1 to CWPEC3 (with shear span-to-depth ratios of 1 or 2) experienced shear failure, while CWPEC4 (with a ratio of 3) exhibited bending failure. With an increase in the shear span-to-depth ratio from 1 to 2 and subsequently to 3, the ultimate load dropped by 7.28% and 28.43%, respectively, whereas the displacement ductility coefficient increased from 1.371 to 3.254 and further to 8.413. Furthermore, increasing the link diameter from 8 mm to 10 mm enhanced the shear resistance by 8.91% and improved the ductility coefficient by 11.94%. Finally, based on the experimental findings, a shear strength design method for CWPEC beams was proposed, which demonstrated good agreement with the experimental results.