Experimental study on the fundamental mechanical features of cable-supported ribbed beam composite slab structure

Abstract

In this study, experiments were carried out to investigate the fundamental mechanical features of the cable-supported ribbed beam composite slab structure (CBS). A 1:5 scaled physical model was designed, fabricated and tested. The feasibility and rationality of the CBS fabrication and construction are discussed and justified. The theoretical analysis used to predict the deflection and member forces is verified. It is shown that the CBS is equipped with high stiffness and behaves linearly in terms of force-displacement relationship and all the cable forces, structural deformation, stress of the ribbed beam and strut stresses are symmetrically distributed. Through comparison analysis, the mechanical features of each span are found to be similar and each span can be considered as a relatively independent mechanical unit. When the CBS is loaded, the stresses in the ribbed beam increase gradually from the two ends towards the center, where the maximum stress and deformation locates eventually, while the distribution of cable forces and strut stresses is the other way around. Further monitoring also shows that the temperature effect on the CBS is not significant since the interior constraint forces are self-balanced by the self-adjustable support.