Experimental study on the service load behaviour of the composite space truss

Abstract

Space truss is widely used as roof covering over a large area with or without intermediate support. The space truss with concrete slab with proper shear connector can act as a floor system in industrial and multi-storey buildings for rapid construction. The main challenge of the composite space truss is transfer of shear between steel and concrete. This paper presents an experimental study of the space truss with the concrete slab by introducing steel flat and bolts as shear connector without profile decking sheet. The load carrying capacity of space truss of size 3 m x 2 m x 0.7 m with 50 mm concrete slab on its top was studied under service load condition. From the experimental results, it was observed that the composite action was enhanced by introducing steel flat and bolts with a minimum slip of 0.1 mm under service load.