THE MECHANICS OF TENSILE MEMBRANE ACTION IN COMPOSITE SLABS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

The mechanics of tensile membrane action of thinlightly-reinforced concrete slabs has been re-examined during the last two years.The re-examination is based on large-deflection plastic yield-line analysis, applied to flat slabs. As deflection increases beyond the optimum yield-line pattern, tensile membrane action is mobilized and further load carrying capacity is provided. This paper represents an extension of this re-examination to include composite slabs at high temperatures. As temperature increases, the unprotected downstand steel beams significantly lose capacity, allowing for further deflection until the overall capacity degrades to the applied load. Tensile membrane action then allows further increase of steel temperature until a maximum is reached.