Experimental research on mechanical performance of the lightweight composite slabs

The static mechanical property of a new type of lightweight composite slabs is experimentally studied. The test results show that the composite slab has better entirety and greater bearing capacity, and the restraint at the two ends of the composite slabs has greater effect on bearing capacity of the slabs presented here. It is seen that the failure modes of the composite slab include cracking of concrete and local buckling of the thin-walled steel beams. The results also show that the composite slab works elastically as if the equivalent uniform load applied to the upper surface of the slab is less than 5kN/m².