Response of composite steel-concrete cellular beams of different concrete deck types under harmonic loads

Abstract This study aims to investigate the adequacy of composite cellular beams with lightweight reinforced concrete deck slab as a structural unit for harmonic loaded buildings. The experimental program involved three fixed-ends supported beams throughout 2140 mm. Three concrete types were included: Normal Weight Concrete (NWC), Lightweight Aggregate Concrete (LWAC), and Lightweight Fiber Reinforced Aggregate Concrete (LWACF). The considered frequencies were (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30) Hz. It was indicated that the harmonic load caused a significant influence on LWAC response (64% greater than NWC) and lattice cracks were observed, especially at 30 Hz. As for LWACF slab, no cracks appeared, and the harmonic load had a minor effect on the vibration amplitude. Adding fiber to LWAC improved its behavior and made the amplitude no more than 11.11%, corresponding to NWC. So, the response variance for the LWACF was approximately negligible compared with NWC. It is worth mentioning that the study produced a lightweight structure that resists harmonic vibrations with a small strength reduction by using LWACF as a deck-slab for cellular specimens and provides a structural element with a smaller density of about 27%, which presents an advantage for the cellular beam that is adopted for low-loaded structures.