COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

AR. MICHAEL JAN C. TUBONGBANUA, UAP

COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION

WHAT IS COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION?

COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION IS A GENERIC TERM TO DESCRIBE ANY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

INVOLVING MULTIPLE DISSIMILAR MATERIALS. COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION IS OFTEN USED IN
BUILDING AIRCRAFT, WATERCRAFT, AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS TO
USE COMPOSITE MATERIALS INCLUDING INCREASED STRENGTH, AESTHETICS, AND
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

DEFINITIONS

COM-POS-ITE

NOUN

1. A THING MADE UP OF SEVERAL PARTS OR ELEMENTS.

"THE ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM IS A COMPOSITE OF LEGISLATION AND JUDICIAL PRECEDENT"

SYNONYMS: AMALGAMATION, AMALGAM, COMBINATION, COMPOUND, FUSION, SYNTHESIS,

MIXTURE, BLEND; ALLOY

"A COMPOSITE OF PLASTIC AND METAL"

INTRODUCTION

THE MOST IMPORTANT AND MOST FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED COMBINATION OF CONSTRUCTION

MATERIALS IS THAT OF STEEL AND CONCRETE, WITH APPLICATIONS IN MULTI-STOREY COMMERCIAL
BUILDINGS AD FACTORIES, AS WELL AS IN BRIDGES. THESE MATERIALS CAN BE USED IN MIXED
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS, FOR EXAMPLE CONCRETE CORES ENCIRCLED BY STEEL TUBES, AS WELL AS IN
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES WHERE MEMBERS CONSISTING OF STEEL AND CONCRETE ACT TOGETHER
COMPOSITELY.

INTRODUCTION

THESE ESSENTIALLY DIFFERENT MATERIALS ARE COMPLETELY COMPATIBLE AND COMPLEMENTARY TO

EACH OTHER; THEY HAVE ALMOST THE SAME THERMAL EXPANSION; THEY HAVE AN IDEAL
COMBINATION OF STRENGTHS WITH THE CONCRETE EFFICIENT IN COMPRESSION AND THE STEEL IN
TENSION; CONCRETE ALSO GIVES CORROSION PROTECTION AND THERMAL INSULATION TO THE STEEL
AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES AND ADDITIONALLY CAN RESTRAIN SLENDER STEEL SECTIONS FROM
LOCAL OR LATERAL TORSIONAL BUCKLING.

INTRODUCTION

IN MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS, STRUCTURAL STEELWORK IS TYPICALLY USED TOGETHER WITH

CONCRETE; FOR EXAMPLE, STEEL BEAMS WITH CONCRETE FLOOR SLABS. THE SAME APPLIES TO ROAD
BRIDGES, WHERE CONCRETE DECKS ARE NORMALLY PREFERRED. THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE
COMPONENTS OR PARTS OF A BUILDING STRUCTURE SHOULD EMBODY ALL STEEL CONSTRUCTION, BE
CONSTRUCTED ENTIRELY IN REINFORCED CONCRETE, OR BE OF COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION DEPENDS
ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES. IT IS A FACT, HOWEVER, THAT ENGINEERS ARE INCREASINGLY DESIGNING
COMPOSITE AND MIXED BUILDING SYSTEMS OF STRUCTURAL STEEL AND REINFORCED CONCRETE TO
PRODUCE MORE EFFICIENT STRUCTURES WHEN COMPARED TO DESIGNS USING EITHER MATERIAL
ALONE. THE NEXT TWO PICTURES GIVE AN IMPRESSION OF HOW AND TO WHAT EXTENT COMPOSITE
CONSTRUCTION IS USED FOR MULTI-STOREY BUILDING.

INTRODUCTION

TYPICAL COMPOSITE MULTI-STOREY STEEL-FRAMED BUILDING DURING CONSTRUCTION A

COMMERCIAL BUILDING IN LONDON.

INTRODUCTION

TYPICAL COMPOSITE MULTI-STOREY STEEL-FRAMED BUILDING DURING EXECUTION A FACTORY

BUILDING FOR THE CAR INDUSTRY IN GERMANY.

INTRODUCTION

IT SHOULD BE ADDED THAT THE COMBINATION OF CONCRETE CORES, STEEL FRAME AND COMPOSITE
FLOOR CONSTRUCTION HAS BECOME THE STANDARD CONSTRUCTION METHOD FOR MULTI-STOREY
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES. MUCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE, FOR EXAMPLE IN
JAPAN, WHERE THE STRUCTURAL STEEL/REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAME IS THE STANDARD SYSTEM FOR
TALL BUILDINGS. THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS PREFERENCE IS THAT THE SECTIONS AND MEMBERS
SHOWN IN THE NEXT PICTURE ARE BEST SUITED TO RESIST REPEATED EARTHQUAKE LOADINGS, WHICH
REQUIRE A HIGH AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE AND DUCTILITY.

INTRODUCTION

THE COMBINATION OF CONCRETE CORES, STEEL FRAME AND COMPOSITE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION HAS
BECOME THE STANDARD METHOD FOR MULTI-STOREY CONSTRUCTION IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES.

COMPOSITE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS IN BUILDINGS

COMPOSITE BEAM / GIRDER

A STRUCTURAL MEMBER COMPOSED OF TWO OR MORE DISSIMILAR MATERIALS JOINED TOGETHER TO
ACT AS A UNIT. AN EXAMPLE IN CIVIL STRUCTURES IS THE STEEL-CONCRETE COMPOSITE BEAM IN
WHICH A STEEL WIDE-FLANGE SHAPE (I OR W SHAPE) IS ATTACHED TO A CONCRETE FLOOR SLAB. THE
MANY OTHER KINDS OF COMPOSITE BEAM INCLUDE STEEL-WOOD, WOOD-CONCRETE, AND PLASTIC-
CONCRETE OR ADVANCED COMPOSITE MATERIALSCONCRETE. COMPOSITE BEAMS AS DEFINED HERE
ARE DIFFERENT FROM BEAMS MADE FROM FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMERIC MATERIALS

COMPOSITE COLUMN

A COLUMN IN WHICH A METAL STRUCTURAL MEMBER IS

COMPLETELY ENCASED IN CONCRETE CONTAINING SPECIAL AND LONGITUDINAL REINFORCEMENT.

FLITCH BEAM

A FLITCH BEAM IS A SIMPLE FORM OF COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION SOMETIMES USED IN NORTH

AMERICAN LIGHT FRAME CONSTRUCTION. THIS OCCURS WHEN A STEEL PLATE IS SANDWICHED
BETWEEN TWO WOOD JOISTS AND BOLTED TOGETHER. A FLITCH BEAM CAN TYPICALLY SUPPORT
HEAVIER LOADS OVER A LONGER SPAN THAN AN ALL-WOOD BEAM OF THE SAME CROSS SECTION.

ALSO KNOWN AS FLITCH GIRDER, SANDWICH BEAM

WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITE

WOOD-PLASTIC COMPOSITES (WPCS) ARE COMPOSITE MATERIALS MADE OF WOOD FIBER/WOOD

FLOUR AND THERMOPLASTIC(S) (INCLUDES PE, PP, PVC ETC.).

IN ADDITION TO WOOD FIBER AND PLASTIC, WPCS CAN ALSO CONTAIN OTHER LIGNO-CELLULOSIC
AND/OR INORGANIC FILLER MATERIALS. WPCS ARE A SUBSET OF A LARGER CATEGORY OF MATERIALS
CALLED NATURAL FIBER PLASTIC COMPOSITES (NFPCS), WHICH MAY CONTAIN NO CELLULOSE-BASED
FIBER FILLERS SUCH AS PULP FIBERS, PEANUT HULLS, BAMBOO, STRAW, DIGESTATE, ETC.

FIBER REINFORCE PLASTIC

FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTICS (FRP) IS THE GENERIC TERM FOR A UNIQUELY VERSATILE FAMILY OF
COMPOSITES USED IN EVERYTHING FROM CHEMICAL PLANT TO LUXURY POWER BOATS. AN FRP
STRUCTURE TYPICALLY CONSISTS OF AN UNSATURATED POLYESTER (UP) RESIN APPLIED TO A MOULD IN
COMBINATION WITH REINFORCEMENT, MOST COMMONLY GLASS FIBRE, TO FORM A PART THAT IS
RIGID, HIGHLY DURABLE AND LOW IN WEIGHT.

THE NEXT PICTURE SHOWS A UP RESIN IS MIXED WITH SPECIAL MINERAL FILLERS TO CAST THESE SOLID
SURFACE KITCHEN WORK TOPS.

FIBER REINFORCE PLASTIC

FRP PROVIDES AN UNRIVALLED COMBINATION OF PROPERTIES:

- LIGHT WEIGHT
 - HIGH STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO (KILO-FOR-KILO ITS STRONGER THAN STEEL)

- DESIGN FREEDOM

- HIGH LEVELS OF STIFFNESS

- CHEMICAL RESISTANCE

- GOOD ELECTRICAL INSULATING PROPERTIES

- RETENTION OF DIMENSIONAL STABILITY ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF TEMPERATURES

HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPOSITES

A NEWER BUT GROWING SECTOR IN THE COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR IS THE HIGH
PERFORMANCE DECKING THAT COMES FROM COMPANIES LIKE TREX DECKING AND FIBERON. HIGH
PERFORMANCE COMPOSITE DECKING HAS EMERGED IN RECENT YEARS TO COMBAT EARLIER
GENERATIONS OF COMPOSITE DECKING LIKE WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITE (WPCS) THAT WERE
STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN CREDIBILITY IN THE MARKETPLACE. RESEARCH IS SHOWING NOW,
HOWEVER, THAT CONSUMERS ARE CHOOSING COMPOSITE DECKING PRODUCTS OVER WOOD 11 TIMES
TO 1. INITIAL CONCERNS REGARDING MOISTURE INTRUSION IN COMPOSITE DECKS HAS LED TO THE RISE
OF HIGH PERFORMANCE DECKING PRODUCTS WITH PROTECTIVE SHELLS, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS
CAPPED COMPOSITE DECKING.

HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPOSITES

CAPPED COMPOSITE DECKS HAVE A HIGH PERFORMANCE FINISH WITH THE ADDITION OF THE SHELL
THAT IS OFTEN CALLED A CAP-STOCK. THIS SHELL COVERS EITHER ALL FOUR SIDES OF THE COMPOSITE
BOARD OR JUST THE TOP AND SIDES, DEPENDING ON THE BRAND. MANUFACTURERS APPLY THE CAP TO
THE BOARD USING A PROCESS CALLED CO-EXTRUSION. MOST CAPPED COMPOSITE DECKING COMES
WITH SOME KIND OF WARRANTY AGAINST STAINS AND FADING