Numerical investigation of steel-timber composite beams with cold-formed omega girders, part 1: non-modified beams

This paper presents a preliminary evaluation of the load-bearing capacity of steel-timber composite beams with cold-formed omega girders and laminated veneer lumber slabs. These structural elements may be used as ceiling beams. The finite element models of the analysed composite beams were created in ADINA and Abaqus. The theoretical estimations of the resistance to bending were based on the elastic analysis (elastic resistance to bending) and the rigid-plastic theory (plastic resistance to bending). The elastic load-bearing capacity obtained in the numerical simulation in ADINA was identical to the one from the theoretical analysis. The elastic load-bearing capacity from the numerical analysis in Abaqus was 1.02 times higher than the one from the theoretical analysis. The plastic bending resistance obtained from the theoretical analysis was 1.08 times higher than the one from the numerical simulation in ADINA and 1.03 times higher than the one from the numerical simulation in Abaqus. In part 2 of the paper, a modification to the cross-section and a reinforcing method were proposed.