Experimental study on mechanical performance of corrugated steel-concrete composite bridge decks.

This study investigated the mechanical performance of corrugated steel-concrete composite bridge decks featuring modified clothoid (MCL) shape shear connectors. Two deck slabs with full scales were specified as the specimens for the flexural tests. Load-slip curves, load-strain curves, and strain distribution curves were generated, and crack distribution was analyzed. The cracking moment and deflection were subsequently calculated. The experiments yielded the following conclusions. Both deck specimens exhibited a concrete slab shear failure mode, and the distribution of reinforcing significantly influenced the cracks formation. The full-scale flexural tests demonstrated that the specific decks possessed excellent bearing capacity and ductility. Furthermore, the strain distribution curves proved that these decks satisfied the plane cross-section assumption. The maximum discrepancy of the calculated results for cracking moment moment and deflection were 9% and 11%, respectively, indicated good agreement with the experimental results within the investigated ranges of the parameters.