Structural Steelwork Eurocodes

Development of
a Trans-National Approach
Course: Eurocode 4

Lecture 2 : Introduction to EC4

Summary:
• A number of terms used in EC4 have a very precise meaning
• The principal components for composite construction are concrete, reinforcing steel, structural steel,
profiled steel sheet, and shear connectors.
• Material properties for each component are defined in other Eurocodes.
• Guidance is given on what methods of analysis, both global and cross-sectional, are appropriate.
• EC4 is based on limit state design principles
• The Ultimate Limit State is concerned with collapse
• The Serviceability Limit State is concerned with operational conditions. These relate specifically to
deflections and crack control, and EC4 provides guidance for controlling both.
• EC4 is structured on the basis of element type, and detailed procedures for the design of beams,
columns and slabs are given in separate sections.

Pre-requisites:
• None

Notes for Tutors:

This material comprises one 30 minute lecture.

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Introduction to EC4

Objectives:
• To describe the structure of EC4.
• To explain some specific technical terms and define principal notation
• To identify the principal components and corresponding material characteristics for composite
construction.
• To introduce the principles of limit state design in relation to composite steel and concrete construction.
• To outline the principles for analysis and design for both ultimate and serviceability conditions for
composite beams, columns and slabs.

References:
• EC4: EN 1994-1-1: Eurocode 4: Design of Composite Steel and Concrete Structures Part 1.1: General rules
and rules for buildings.

Contents:
1. Structure of Eurocode 4 Part 1.1
2. Terminology
3. Notation/Symbols
4. Material properties
4.1 Concrete
4.2 Reinforcing steel
4.3 Structural steel
4.4 Profiled steel sheeting for composite slabs
4.5 Shear connectors
5. Frame and element design and analysis
5.1 Ultimate Limit State
5.2 Properties and classification of cross-sections
5.3 Serviceability Limit State
6. Ultimate Limit State
6.1 Beams
6.2 Columns
7. Serviceability Limit State
7.1 Deflections
7.2 Concrete cracking
8. Composite Joints
9. Composite Slabs
10. Concluding Summary

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Introduction to EC4

1. Structure of Eurocode 4 Part 1.1

The arrangement of sections within EC4-1-1 is based on a typical design sequence, starting with
basic data on material properties and safety factors, then considering issues related to methods
of analysis, before detailing the requirements for element design (at both ultimate and
serviceability limit states).
EC4 is organised into a number of Sections as follows:
Section 1 General
Outlines the scope of EC4, defines specific terms, and provides a notation list.
Section 2 Basis of Design
Outlines design principles and introduces partial safety factors
Section 3 Materials
Specifies characteristic strengths for concrete, steel (reinforcing and structural), and shear
connectors
Section 4 Durability
Specifies particular requirements for corrosion protection of composite elements, in relation to
the interface between steel and concrete, and galvanising standards for profiled steel sheets for
composite slabs.
Section 5 Structural Analysis
This outlines appropriate methods of global analysis and their potential application, and defines
the effective width and section classification.
Section 6 Ultimate limit states
This provides detailed rules regarding detailed sizing of individual structural elements (beams
and columns), including shear connectors. The design of composite slabs is covered in Section
9.
Section 7 Serviceability limit states
Sets out limits on deflections and requirements to control cracking
Section 8 Composite joints in frames for buildings
Provides detailed procedures for designing joints.
Section 9 Composite slabs with profiled steel sheeting for buildings
Provides specific guidance for the use of composite decking, and sets out detailed procedures
for verification at both ultimate and serviceability limit states for both shuttering and the
composite slab.
Section 10 Execution
Provides guidance on the site construction process. This specifies minimum standards of
workmanship as implicitly assumed in the rest of EC4.
Section 11 Standard tests
Describes procedures for testing shear connectors and composite floor slabs where standard
design data is not available.

2. Terminology
The Eurocodes define a number of terms which, although often used generally in a rather loose cl. 1.4.2
way, have more precise meanings in the context of EC4. These terms are clearly defined and
include the following:
• ‘Composite member’ refers to a structural member with components of concrete and

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structural or cold-formed steel, interconnected.by shear connection to limit relative slip.

• ‘Shear connection’ refers to the interconnection between steel and concrete components
enabling them to be designed as a single member.
• ‘Composite beam’ is a composite member subject mainly to bending.
• ‘Composite column’ is a composite member subject mainly to compression or combined
compression and bending.
• ‘Composite slab’ is a slab in which profiled steel sheets act as permanent shuttering and
subsequently act to provide tensile reinforcement to the concrete.
• ‘Execution’ refers to the activity of creating a building, including both site work and
fabrication.
• ‘Type of building’ refers to its intended function (eg a dwelling house, industrial building)
• ‘Form of structure’ describes the generic nature of structural elements (eg. beam, arch) or
overall system (eg. Suspension bridge)
• ‘Type of construction’ indicates the principal structural material (eg. steel construction)
• ‘Method of construction’ describes how the construction is to be carried out (eg
prefabricated)
• ‘Composite frame’ is a framed structure in which some or all of the elements are composite.
• ‘Composite joint’ is a joint between composite members in which reinforcement is intended
to contribute to its resistance and stiffness.
• Type of framing:
Simple joints do not resist moments
Continuous joints assumed to be rigid
Semi-continuous connection characteristics need explicit consideration in analysis
• ‘Propped structure or member’ is one in which the weight of concrete applied to the steel
elements is carried independently, or the steel is supported in the span, until the concrete is
able to resist stress.
• ‘Unpropped structure or member’ is one in which the weight of concrete is applied to the
steel elements which are unsupported in the span..

3. Notation/Symbols
A complete list of symbols is included in EC4. The most common of these are listed below: cl. 1.6
Symbols of a general nature:
L, l Length; span; system length
N Number of shear connectors; axial force
R Resistance; reaction
S Internal forces & moments; stiffness
δ Deflection; steel contribution ratio
λ Slenderness ratio
χ Reduction factor for buckling
γ Partial safety factor

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Symbols relating to cross-section properties:

A Area
b Width
d Depth; diameter
h Height
i Radius of gyration
I Second moment of area
W Section modulus
ϕ Diameter of a reinforcing bar
Member axes
The following convention is adopted for member axes:
x-x along the length of the member
y-y axis of the cross-section parallel to the flanges (major axis)
z-z axis of the cross-section perpendicular to the flanges (minor axis)
Symbols relating to material properties:
E Modulus of elasticity
f Strength
n Modular ratio
EC4 also makes extensive use of subscripts. These can be used to clarify the precise meaning of
a symbol. Some common subscripts are as follows:
c Compression, composite cross-section, concrete
d Design
el Elastic
k Characteristic
LT Lateral-torsional
pl Plastic
Normal symbols may also be used as subscripts, for example:
Rd Design resistance
Sd Design values of internal force or moment
Subscripts can be arranged in sequence as necessary, separated by a decimal point – for
example:
Npl.Rd Design plastic axial resistance.

4. Material properties
4.1 Concrete
Properties for both normal weight and lightweight concrete shall be determined according to cl. 3.1
EC2, but EC4 does not cover concrete grades less than C20/25 or greater than C60/75.

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4.2 Reinforcing steel

Properties for reinforcing steel shall be determined according to EC2, but EC4 does not cover cl. 3.2
reinforcement grades with a characteristic strength greater than 550N/mm2..

4.3 Structural steel

Properties for structural steel shall be determined according to EC3, but EC4 does not cover steel cl. 3.3
grades with a characteristic strength greater than 460N/mm2..

4.4 Profiled steel sheeting for composite slabs

Properties for steel sheeting shall be determined according to EC3, but EC4 also restricts the type cl. 3.4
of steel to those specified in certain ENs.
The recommended minimum (bare) thickness of steel is 0,7mm

4.5 Shear connectors

Reference is made to various ENs for the specification of materials for connectors. cl. 3.5

5. Structural analysis
General guidance is given on what methods of analysis are suitable for different circumstances. cl. 5.1.2

5.1 Ultimate Limit State

For the Ultimate Limit State, both elastic and plastic global analysis may be used, although
certain conditions apply to the use of plastic analysis.
When using elastic analysis the stages of construction may need to be considered. The cl. 5.1.4
stiffness of the concrete may be based on the uncracked condition for braced structure. In other
cases, some account may need to be taken of concrete cracking by using a reduced stiffness
over a designated length of beam. The effect of creep is accounted for by using appropriate
values for the modular ratio, but shrinkage and temperature effects may be ignored.
Some redistribution of elastic bending moments is allowed.
Rigid-plastic global analysis is allowed for non-sway frames, and for unbraced frames of two Cl. 5.1.5
storeys or less, with some restrictions on cross-sections.
Cl. 5.3.4
A similar distinction is made between sway and non-sway frames, and between braced and
unbraced frames as for steel frames, and reference is made to EC3 for definitions.

5.2 Properties and classification of cross-sections

The effective width of the concrete flange of the composite beam is defined, although more cl. 5.2
rigorous methods of analysis are admitted.
Cross-sections are classified in a similar manner to EC3 for non-composite steel sections. cl. 5.3

5.3 Serviceability Limit State

Elastic analysis must be used for the serviceability limit state. The effective width is as defined cl. 5.4
for the ultimate limit state, and appropriate allowances may be made for concrete cracking, creep
and shrinkage.

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cl. 6
6. Ultimate Limit State
The ultimate limit state is concerned with the resistance of the structure to collapse. This is
generally checked by considering the strength of individual elements subject to forces
determined from a suitable analysis. In addition the overall stability of the structure must be
checked.
The ultimate limit state is examined under factored load conditions. In general, the effects on
individual structural elements will be determined by analysis, and each element then treated as
an isolated component for design. Details of individual design checks depend on the type of
member (eg beam, column) and are described in other parts of this course.
The ultimate limit state design for composite connections and composite slabs are dealt with in
Sections 8 and 9 respectively.

6.1 Beams
For beams, guidance is given on the applicability of plastic, non-linear and elastic analysis for cl. 6.3
determining the bending resistance of the cross-section, with full or partial interaction.
Procedures for calculating the vertical shear resistance, including the effects of shear buckling
and combined bending and shear.
Beams with concrete infill between the flanges enclosing the web are defined as partially cl. 6.4
encased, and separate considerations apply to the design for bending and shear for these.
In general, the top flange of the steel beam in composite construction is laterally restrained cl. 6.5
against buckling by the concrete slab. However, in the hogging bending zones of continuous
beams, the compression flange is not restrained in this way, and procedures for checking lateral-
torsional buckling for such cases are given. If a continuous composite beam satisfies certain
conditions defined in EC4, such checks are unnecessary.
Detailed procedures are given for the design of the longitudinal shear connection, including the cl. 6.7
requirements for the slab and transverse reinforcement. A range of different connector types is
considered.

6.2 Columns
Various types of composite columns, including encased sections and concrete-filled tubes, are cl. 6.8
covered. Simplified procedures are given for columns of doubly symmetrical cross-section and
uniform throughout their length. Guidance is given on the need for shear connection and how
this can be achieved.

7. Serviceability Limit State

Serviceability requirements are specified in relation to limiting deflections and concrete cracking. cl. 7.1
Other less common serviceability conditions relating to control of vibrations and limiting
stresses are not included in EC4.

7.1 Deflections
At the serviceability limit state, the calculated deflection of a member or of a structure is seldom cl. 7.2
meaningful in itself since the design assumptions are rarely realised. This is because, for
example:
• the actual load may be quite unlike the assumed design load;
• beams are seldom "simply supported" or "fixed" and in reality a beam is usually in some
intermediate condition;
The calculated deflection can, however, provide an index of the stiffness of a member or

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structure, i.e. to assess whether adequate provision is made in relation to the limit state of
deflection or local damage. Guidance is given on calculating deflections for composite beams,
including allowances for partial interaction and concrete cracking. No guidance is given
regarding simplified approaches based on limiting span/depth ratios.
No reference is given to limiting values for deflections in EC4. It is therefore recommended that EC3 Table
calculated deflections should be compared with specified maximum values in Eurocode 3, which 4.1
tabulates limiting vertical deflections for beams in six categories as follows:
• roofs generally.
• roofs frequently carrying personnel other than for maintenance.
• floors generally.
• floors and roofs supporting plaster or other brittle finish or non-flexible partitions.
• floors supporting columns (unless the deflection has been included in the global analysis
for the ultimate limit state).
• situations in which the deflection can impair the appearance of the building.
The deflections due to loading applied to the steel member alone, for example those during the
construction stage for unpropped conditions, should be based on the procedures of EC3 using
the bare steel section properties.
Deflections due to subsequent loading should be calculated using elastic analysis of the
composite cross-section with a suitable transformed section. Where necessary, methods of
allowing for incomplete interaction and cracking of concrete are given

7.2 Concrete Cracking

Concrete in composite elements is subject to cracking for a number of reasons including direct cl. 7.3
loading and shrinkage. Excessive cracking of the concrete can affect durability and appearance,
or otherwise impair the proper functioning of the building. In many cases these may not be
critical issues, and simplified approaches based on minimum reinforcement ratios and maximum
bar spacing or diameters can be adopted. Where special conditions apply, for example in the
case of members subject to sever exposure conditions, EC4 provides guidance on calculating
crack widths due to applied loads. Limiting crack widths are specified in relation to exposure
conditions.

8. Composite Joints cl. 8

The guidance given applies principally to moment-resisting beam-column connections. It relates

to moment resistance, rotational stiffness, and rotation capacity. The inter-dependence of global
analysis and connection design is described, but where the effects of joint behaviour on the
distribution of internal forces and moments are small, they may be neglected. Guidance is given
on joint classification as rigid, nominally pinned, or semi-rigid for stiffness, and as full strength,
nominally pinned or partial strength in relation to moment resistance.
Detailed guidance is given in relation to design and detailing of the joint, including slab
reinforcement.

9. Composite Slabs cl. 9

Detailed guidance is given in relation to the design of composite slabs, for both ultimate and
serviceability limit states. This includes construction stages when the steel sheeting is acting as
permanent shuttering and, in an unpropped condition, must resist the applied actions due to wet
concrete and construction loads. In this case reference is made to EC3 Part 1.3.
Calculation procedures are given for determining the resistance of composite slabs in relation to
flexure, longitudinal shear and vertical shear. Principles for determining stiffness for calculating

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deflections are stated, and conditions in which detailed calculations can be omitted are specified
in relation to span:depth ratios.

10. Concluding Summary

• A number of terms used in EC4 have a very precise meaning

• The principal components for composite construction are concrete, reinforcing steel,
structural steel, profiled steel sheet, and shear connectors.

• Material properties for each component are defined in other Eurocodes.

• Guidance is given on what methods of analysis, both global and cross-sectional, are
appropriate.

• EC4 is based on limit state design principles

• The Ultimate Limit State is concerned with collapse

• The Serviceability Limit State is concerned with operational conditions. These relate
specifically to deflections and crack control, and EC4 provides guidance for controlling
both.

• EC4 is structured on the basis of element type, and detailed procedures for the design of
beams, columns and slabs are given in separate sections.

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