©COMPUTERS AND STRUCTURES, INC.

, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA SEPTEMBER 2002

COMPOSITE BEAM DESIGN BS 5950-90
Technical Note
General and Notation

This Technical Note provides an overview of composite beam design using the
BS 5950-90 design specification (BSI 1990a, 1990b). The various notations
used in this series of Technical Notes are described herein.

English as well as SI and MKS metric units can be used for input. But the code
is based on Newton-Millimeter-Second units. For simplicity, all equations and
descriptions presented in this series of Technical Notes correspond to New-
ton-Millimeter-Second units unless otherwise noted.

BS 5950-90 Design Methodology

The flowchart in Figure 1 shows the general methodology for composite beam
design of a single beam element using the BS 5950-90 specification. The
numbered boxes in the flowchart correspond to the "Box" identifiers used in
the text of this Technical Note. The flowchart is intended to convey the im-
portant features of the BS 5950-90 design methodology. It should not be lit-
erally construed as a flowchart for the actual computer code included in the
program.

Box 1 - Start Here

Before you begin, note that the flowchart is set up for a single beam. Thus
you must apply the flow process shown to each beam designed. Do not con-
fuse the beam that is being designed with a trial section for that beam. The
beam that is being designed is an actual element in the model. A trial section
is simply a beam section size that is checked for the beam that is being de-
signed.

Box 2 - Design Load Combinations

The program creates default design load combinations for composite beam
design using the BS 5950-90 specification. Also any user-specified design load
combinations can be interpreted and implemented. Refer to Technical Note
Design Load Combinations Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 for a de-
scription of the BS 5950-90 default design load combinations.

BS 5950-90 Design Methodology Page 1 of 19

Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Determine design Determine design Start here to design

check locations. load combinations. a beam element.
3 2 1

Determine checking
order for beams. Is there another trial
section available that The design for this
4 may qualify as the beam element is
optimum beam complete.
Select a trial beam Yes section? No
section.
5 19 20

Determine if trial
On the basis of Is the section section is the current
Yes No
section class plastic, compact or optimum section.
requirements, semi-compact? 18
determine whether 6
to use a plastic or Determine price of
an elastic stress section.
distribution to Determine
transformed section 17
calculate the
moment capacity, properties for full
Calculate required
Mn. composite action.
camber.
7 8
16
Yes
Considering full No Is beam shear
composite acceptable?
connection, are the No 15
maximum moment Yes
and deflection Do the required
No
acceptable? shear connectors fit
on the beam?
9
Yes 14

Determine the
Is the vibration No required number of
criteria satisfied? shear connectors.
10 13
Yes
Determine the
minimum acceptable
percent composite
Considering full No
connection
composite action, is considering
the interaction for the combined stresses
combined stresses Yes
and deflection
acceptable?
criteria.
11 12
Figure 1: Flowchart for BS 5950-90 Design of a Single Beam

BS 5950-90 Design Methodology Page 2 of 19

Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Box 3 - Design Check Locations

The program determines all of the design check locations for a given beam.
Also refer to Technical Note Beam Unbraced Length Composite Beam Design.

Box 4 - Checking Order for Beams

You must determine the checking order for a beam section if the beam is as-
signed an auto selection property. The program considers the beam sections
in the auto select list in the sequence described in “How the Program Opti-
mizes Design Groups” in Technical Note General Design Information Compos-
ite Beam Design.

Box 5 - Trial Beam Section

The program allows you to select the next trial beam section to be checked
for conformance with the BS 5950-90 specification and any additional user-
defined criteria. Refer to “How the Program Optimizes Design Groups” in
Technical Note General Design Information Composite Beam Design for a de-
scription of this selection process.

Box 6 - Section Class Requirements

For BS 5950-90 design of composite beams, the program requires that the
beam section be Class 1 (Plastic), Class 2 (Compact) or Class 3 (Semi-
Compact). Class 4 (Slender) sections are not designed. The program checks
to make sure the beam is not Slender. Refer to Technical Note Classification
of Sections Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 for a description of how the
program classifies the sections.

Box 7 - Stress Distribution Used to Calculate Moment Capacity

The program determines whether to use a plastic or an elastic stress distribu-
tion when calculating the moment capacity for BS 5950-90 design. See Tech-
nical Note Classification of Sections Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 for
more information.

Box 8 - Transformed Section Properties

The program computes the transformed section properties of the trial beam
section. If there is only positive bending in the beam, only the transformed
section properties for positive bending are calculated. Similarly, if there is
only negative bending in the beam, only the transformed section properties
for negative bending are calculated. If there is both positive and negative
bending in the beam, transformed section properties for both positive and
negative bending are calculated.

BS 5950-90 Design Methodology Page 3 of 19

Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Refer to Technical Note Effective Width of the Concrete Slab Composite Beam
Design BS 5950-90 for a description of how the program calculates the effec-
tive width of the concrete slab for the composite beam. Refer to Technical
Note Transformed Section Moment of Inertia Composite Beam Design BS
5950-90 for description of how the program calculates the transformed sec-
tion properties.

In BS 5950-90 design, the transformed section properties are used for calcu-
lating deflection, and they are used when the moment capacity is determined
based on an elastic stress distribution.

Box 9 - Initial Moment Capacity and Deflection Check

The program checks that the moment capacity of the beam using full com-
posite connection is greater than or equal to the applied factored moment. It
also checks if the deflection using full composite connection is acceptable. The
main purpose of this check is to quickly eliminate inadequate beam sections.
Refer to Technical Note Strength Checks Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90
and Beam Deflection Checks Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 for more
information.

Box 10 - Vibration Criteria Check

The program calculates the vibration parameters. If vibration is specified to
be used as one of the tools for selecting the optimum beam size, the program
checks if the vibration parameters satisfy the specified limits. If the vibration
check is satisfied, the design using the current trial section continues; other-
wise, the design for this section is terminated. For more detailed information
on the vibration checks, refer to Technical Note Beam Vibration Composite
Beam Design BS 5950-90.

Box 11 - P-M Interaction Check

If there is axial load on the beam, the program checks the P-M interaction
equations for non-composite sections. If the interaction check is satisfied, the
design using the current trial section continues; otherwise, the design for this
section is terminated. Refer to Technical Note Moment Capacity for Steel Sec-
tion Alone Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 for more information.

Box 12 - Partial Composite Action

A significant amount of design is performed at this point in the process. The
program determines the smallest amount of composite connection for which

BS 5950-90 Design Methodology Page 4 of 19

Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

the beam is adequate. Both flexural checks and deflection checks are made at
this point. Flexural checks are also made for the construction loads.

For more information refer to Technical Notes Partial Composite Connection

Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90, Strength Checks Composite Beam De-
sign BS 5950-90, and Beam Deflection Checks Composite Beam Design BS
5950-90.

Box 13 - Required Number of Shear Connectors

The program calculates the required number of shear connectors on the beam
and the distribution of those shear connectors. For more information refer to
Technical Note Shear Connectors Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90. Also
refer to Technical Note Distribution of Shear Studs on a Composite Beam
Composite Beam Design and Technical Note Number of Shear Studs that Fit in
a Composite Beam Segment Composite Beam Design. Finally refer to Techni-
cal Note Effective Width of Concrete Slab Composite Beam Design BS 5950-
90 for limitations associated with composite beams and formed metal deck
and Technical Note Transverse Reinforcement Composite Beam Design BS
5950-90 for checking longitudinal shear stress in concrete.

Box 14 - Checking if Shear Connectors Fit on the Beam

The program checks if the number of shear connectors calculated actually fit
on the beam. For more information refer to Technical Note Number of Shear
Studs that Fit in a Composite Beam Segment Composite Beam Design. If the
connectors fit on the beam, the design using the current trial section contin-
ues; otherwise, the design for this section is terminated.

Box 15 - Beam Shear

The program checks the beam shear for the reactions at each end of the
beam. See Technical Note Beam Shear Capacity Composite Beam Design BS
5950-90 for more information. If the beam shear check is satisfied, the de-
sign using the current trial section continues; otherwise, the design for this
section is terminated.

Box 16 - Camber
The program determines the camber for the beam, if it is specified to have
camber. Refer to Technical Note Camber Calculation Composite Beam Design
BS 5950-90 for more information.

BS 5950-90 Design Methodology Page 5 of 19

Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Box 17 - Section Price

Determination of price of section applies only when price has been specified
by the user as the method of selecting the optimum section. In such cases,
the program determines the price of the current beam. Refer to “Using Price
to Select Optimum Beam Sections” in Technical Note General Design Infor-
mation Composite Beam Design for more information.

Box 18 - Check if a Section is the Current Optimum Section

This check applies only if price has been specified as the method of selecting
the optimum section. The program checks if the price of the current trial
beam is less than that of any other beam that satisfied the design criteria. If
so, the current beam section becomes the current optimum beam section.
Refer to “Using Price to Select Optimum Beam Sections” in Technical Note
General Design Information Composite Beam Design for more information

If the optimum beam size is to be selected by weight, this check becomes ir-
relevant because the beams are checked in order from the lightest to the
heaviest beams and thus the first beam found to work is the optimum beam.

Box 19 - Checking for Possible Additional Optimum Sections

This check applies only if the beam has been assigned an auto selection prop-
erty. The program checks if another section in the auto selection list might
qualify as the optimum beam section. Refer to the section titled “How the
Program Optimizes Design Groups" in Technical Note General Design Infor-
mation Composite Beam Design for more information.

Box 20 - Design Complete

At this point, the design for this particular beam element is complete. If the
beam has been assigned an auto selection property, the current optimum
section, assuming one has been found, is the optimum section for the beam.
The program will indicate if no beam with an optimum section is included in
the auto selection list.

If the beam is assigned a regular, non-auto selection property, the design for
that beam property will be provided or the beam will be indicated to be in-
adequate.

There are some additional aspects included in the composite beam design
module that are not directly addressed in the flowchart shown in Figure 1.

BS 5950-90 Design Methodology Page 6 of 19

Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Those include designing beams in groups and designing beams with partial
length cover plates.

For more information on the design by group feature, refer to How the Pro-
gram Optimizes Design Groups in Technical Note General Design Information
Composite Beam Design.

Notation
Abare Area of the steel beam (plus cover plate), mm2.

Ac Area of concrete within slab effective width, mm2. For beams

with metal deck ribs running perpendicular to the beam span,
only the concrete above the metal deck is included. For beams
with metal deck ribs running parallel to the beam span, the
concrete above the metal deck and the concrete in the deck
ribs are included. This value may be different on the left and
right sides of the beam.

Ag Gross area of steel member, mm2.

As Area of rolled steel section, or the total area (excluding cover

plate) of a user-defined steel section, mm2. Note that the total
area of a user-defined steel section is found by summing the
area of the top flange, web and bottom flange.

ASb Initial displacement amplitude of a single beam resulting from

a heel drop impact, mm. Used in vibration analysis.

Asc Cross-sectional area of a shear stud connector, mm2.

Asv Area of transverse reinforcement with appropriate anchoring

required within a spacing, mm2/mm.

Av2, Av3 Major and minor shear areas, mm2.

B Actual physical width of the concrete flange, mm. Also full

width of the steel flange, mm.

Bcp Width of steel cover plate, mm.

Notation Page 7 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Be Effective width of concrete flange of composite beam, mm.

B'e Effective width of concrete flange of composite beam in

equivalent steel stiffness, mm.

B''e Effective width of concrete flange of composite beam in

equivalent steel stiffness considering partial connection, mm.

Bf Width of the flange of a rolled steel beam, mm.

Bbot Width of bottom flange of a user-defined steel beam, mm.

Btop Width of top flange of a user-defined steel beam, mm.

Cbot Cope depth at bottom of beam, mm.

Ctop Cope depth at top of beam, mm.

D Depth of steel beam from outside face of top flange to outside

face of bottom flange, mm.

Dp Height of metal deck rib, mm.

Dr Damping ratio, percent critical damping inherent in the floor

system, unitless. Used in vibration analysis.

Ec Modulus of elasticity of concrete slab, N/mm2. Note that this

could be different on the left and right sides of the beam. Also
note that this is different for stress calculations and deflection
calculations.

Es Modulus of elasticity of steel, N/mm2.

Fconc,max The maximum concrete force that can be developed in a con-

crete deck based on a concrete design strength of 0.45 fcu.
Ribs are included if the concrete slab is ribbed, and if the ribs
run parallel to the beam, N.

Fsteel,max The maximum steel axial force that can be developed in a

composite beam based on the steel design strength py, N.

Notation Page 8 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Fstud, Fc The design concrete force that can be generated in a concrete

deck considering the effect of composite shear connection, N.

Fp The value of Fstud or Fc for full composite connection, N.

Fv Required shear strength, N.

Fv2, Fv3 Major and minor shear loads, N.

G Shear modulus of elasticity of steel, N/mm2.

H Warping constant, mm6.

I22, I33 Minor and major moment of inertia, respectively, mm4.

Ibare Moment of inertia of a steel section, including the cover plate

if present, mm4. Ibare becomes equal to Is if there is no cover
plate welded to the beam.

Ieff Effective moment of inertia of a partially composite beam,

mm4.

Ieff, 100 Effective moment of inertia based on 100% composite con-

nection, i.e., for full composite connection, mm4.

Ig Transformed section moment of inertia about the elastic neu-

tral axis of the gross uncracked section, mm4. If the neutral
axis remains within the steel section, Ip for full composite
shear connection becomes equal to Ig.

In Transformed section moment of inertia for negative moment

about the elastic neutral axis of the cracked composite section,
mm4. Because the longitudinal rebars are ignored, In is the
same as Ibare if a cover plate is present, and Is if there is no
cover plate.

Ip Transformed section moment of inertia for positive moment

about the elastic neutral axis of the cracked composite section,
mm4.

Is Moment of inertia of the steel beam alone, mm4.

Notation Page 9 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

I x , Iy Moment of inertia about the x and y axes of the beam, re-

spectively, mm4.

J Torsional constant for the section, mm4.

K Effective length factor.

K33, K22 Major and minor effective length factors.

Kf A unitless coefficient typically equal to 1.57 unless the beam is

the overhanging portion of a cantilever with a backspan, in
which case Kf is as defined in Figure 1 of Technical Note Beam
Vibration Composite Beam Design, or the beam is a cantilever
that is fully fixed at one end and free at the other end, in
which case Kf is 0.56. This is used for vibration analysis.

L Center-of-support to center-of-support length of the beam,

mm.

L22 Effective length of the beam for minor (2-2) axis of bending,
mm.

L33 Effective length of the beam for major (3-3) axis of bending,
mm.

L1 Distance from point of maximum moment to the closest point

of zero moment or physical end of beam top flange, or physi-
cal end of concrete slab, mm.

L2 Distance from point of maximum moment to the nearest point

of zero moment or physical end of beam top flange, or physi-
cal end of concrete slab measured on the other side of the
point of maximum moment from the distance L1, mm.

Notation Page 10 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

L3 Distance from point load to the point of zero moment, physical

end of beam top flange, or physical end of concrete slab
measured on the appropriate side of the point load, mm. If the
point load is located on the left side of the point of maximum
moment, the distance is measured from the point load toward
the left end of the beam. If the point load is located on the
right side of the point of maximum moment, the distance is
measured toward the right end of the beam.

Lb Laterally unbraced length of beam; length between points that

are braced against lateral displacement of the compression
flange or braced against twist of the cross section, mm.

LCBS Length of a composite beam segment, mm. A composite beam

segment spans between any of the following: 1) physical end
of the beam top flange; 2) another beam framing into the
beam being considered; 3) physical end of concrete slab.
Figure 1 of Technical Note Distribution of Shear Studs on a
Composite Beam Composite Beam Design illustrates some
typical cases for LCBS.

Ls Distance between two points used when the program is calcu-

lating the maximum number of shear studs that can fit be-
tween those points, mm. If the deck span is oriented parallel
to the beam span and at least one of the points is at the end
of the beam, Ls is taken as the distance between the two
points minus 75 mm.

M Applied moment, N-mm.

M33 Applied moment about major axis, N-mm.

M22 Applied moment about minor axis, N-mm.

MA Absolute value of moment at the quarter point of the unbraced

beam segment, N-mm.

MB Absolute value of moment at the centerline of the unbraced

beam segment, N-mm.

Notation Page 11 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

MC Absolute value of moment at the three-quarter point of the

unbraced beam segment, N-mm.

Mb Lateral-torsional buckling moment capacity of a non-composite

section, N-mm.

Mc Moment capacity, N-mm.

Mc22 Minor moment capacity, N-mm.

Mc33 Major moment capacity, N-mm.

Mmax Maximum positive moment for a beam, N-mm.

Mcv Plastic moment capacity of a composite beam section for a

PCC after considering the reduced strength for the coexistent
shear force, N-mm.

ME Elastic critical moment of a noncomposite section, N-mm.

Me Elastic moment capacity of a composite section, N-mm.

Mf Plastic moment capacity of a composite section about the

major axis for positive moment for a PCC with the assumption
that the web does not contribute to the moment strength, N-
mm.

Mp Plastic moment capacity of a composite section for positive

moment with an appropriate PCC, or for negative moment, as
appropriate, N-mm.

N Axial load, N.

Na Required number of shear connectors between the point of

maximum moment and an adjacent point of zero moment (or
end of slab) for partial composite connection, unitless.

NCBS The number of uniformly distributed shear connectors the pro-

gram specifies for a composite beam segment, unitless.

Notation Page 12 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

Neff The effective number of beams resisting the heel drop impact,
unitless. Used in vibration analysis.

Ni Required number of shear connectors between a point load

and a point of zero moment (or end of slab), unitless.

Np Required number of shear connectors between the point of

maximum moment and an adjacent point of zero moment (or
end of slab) for full composite connection, unitless.

NR Number of shear stud connectors in one rib at a beam inter-

section; not to exceed three in computations, although more
than three studs may be installed, unitless.

NR Available number of metal deck ribs between two points,

unitless.

NSmax Maximum number of shear stud connectors between two

points a distance of Ls apart, unitless.

PCC Percent composite connection, unitless. This represents the

partial composite connection ratio, and it is expressed as a
percentage.

PO Heel drop force, kips. This force is taken as 0.6 kips. This is
used for vibration analysis.

Pv2, Pv3 Major and minor shear capacities, N.

Qk Character strength of one shear connector (shear stud), N.

Qn Design strength of one shear connector (shear stud) for nega-

tive moment, N.

Qp Design strength of one shear connector (shear stud) for posi-

tive moment, N.

R Wiss-Parmelee rating factor, unitless. Used in vibration analy-

sis.

Notation Page 13 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

RSmax Maximum number of rows of shear stud connectors that can fit
between two points a distance of Ls apart, unitless.

S Plastic section modulus of the steel beam alone plus cover

plate if applicable, mm3.

S33, S22 Major and minor plastic section moduli, mm3.

Sed Minimum edge distance from midheight of a metal deck rib to

the center of a shear stud, mm. For an example see paragraph
1b of the section entitle Solid Slab or Deck Ribs Oriented Par-
allel to Beam Span in Technical Note Number of Shear Studs
that Fit in a Composite Beam Segment Composite Beam De-
sign. The default value is 25 mm. You can change this in the
preferences and the overwrites.

SRmax Maximum number of shear stud connectors that can fit in one
row across the top flange of a composite beam, unitless.

T Thickness of flange, mm.

Tbot Thickness of bottom flange of a user-defined steel beam, mm.

Ttop Thickness of top flange of a user-defined steel beam, mm.

Tcp Thickness of cover plate, mm.

W Total load supported by the beam, N. You specify a load com-

bination that the program uses to determine this weight.

Ys Specified yield strength, N/mm2.

Z33, Z22 Section modulus about the 3-3 and 2-2 axes of the beam re-
spectively, mm3.

a Robertson constant, unitless. Also the depth of the concrete

compression block, mm.

br Average width of concrete rib, mm.

Notation Page 14 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

d Clear distance between flanges less the fillet or corner radius

at each flange for rolled shapes and clear distance between
flanges for welded shapes, mm.

davg Average depth of concrete slab, including the concrete in the

metal deck ribs, mm. Used in vibration analysis.

dsc Diameter of a shear stud connector, mm.

f First natural frequency of the beam in cycles per second.

fcu Characteristic cube strength of concrete, N/mm2.

fyr Yield strength of transverse reinforcement, N/mm2.

g Acceleration caused by gravity, mm/sec2.

hs Length of shear stud connector after welding, mm.

k Distance from outer face of a rolled beam flange to the web

toe of a fillet, mm.

kdepth Distance from inner face of a rolled beam flange to the web
toe of a fillet, mm.

kwidth Width of idealized fillet of rolled beam section, mm.

l Controlling laterally unbraced length of a member, mm.

l22, l33 Laterally unbraced length of a member for buckling about the
local 2-2 and 3-3 axes of the beam respectively, mm.

le22, le33 Major and minor effective lengths, mm (K33l33, K22l22).

m Equivalent uniform moment factor.

m22,m33 Equivalent uniform moment factor for the minor (2-2) and
major (3-3) axes of bending.

Notation Page 15 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

n Slenderness correction factor dependent on moment gradient,

unitless. This factor modifies the slenderness to consider the
effect of variation of moment along the length of the beam.
This is used to calculate Mb.

p Euler strength, N/mm2.

E

py Minimum specified yield stress of structural steel, N/mm2.

pycp Minimum specified yield stress of cover plate, N/mm2.

r Governing radius of gyration, mm. Also the ratio of average

axial stress in steel to yield stress of steel, unitless.

r22, r33 Radius of gyration about the local 2-2 and 3-3 axes of the
beam respectively, mm.

sb Beam spacing, mm.

sr Center-to-center spacing of metal deck ribs, mm.

t Thickness of web of steel beam, mm.

tc Thickness of concrete slab, mm. If there is metal deck, this is

the thickness of the concrete slab above the metal deck, tc =
Ds - Dp.

tO Time to the maximum initial displacement of a single beam

resulting from a heel drop impact, seconds. Used in vibration
analysis.

u Buckling parameter.

v Longitudinal shear force per unit length, N/mm.

vrc Maximum resistance per unit length imparted by concrete

alone to the longitudinal shear, N/mm.

vr,max Maximum resistance per unit length to the longitudinal shear

that is allowed with or without transverse reinforcement,
N/mm.

Notation Page 16 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

wa Additional metal deck rib width, mm. This term is used to

specify metal deck ribs that are split over the beam. The width
wa is added to the width br when determining the width of
deck rib available for shear studs. Currently this term is al-
ways zero.

x1 The assumed gap distance from the supporting beam or col-

umn flange to the end of the beam flange, mm. The default
value for this length is 10 mm.

y Distance from the bottom of the bottom flange of the steel

beam section to the elastic neutral axis of the fully composite
beam, mm.

ybare The distance from the bottom of the bottom flange of the steel
beam to the neutral axis of the noncomposite steel beam plus
cover plate if applicable, mm.

yc Distance of the bottom of the compression block from the

bottom of the beam bottom flange (no cover plate), mm.

yeff The distance from the bottom of the bottom flange of the steel
beam to the neutral axis of the partially composite beam, mm.

yp Distance of the plastic neutral axis of composite section from

the bottom of the beam bottom flange (no cover plate), mm.

zp Distance from the plastic neutral axis of composite section to

the top of the concrete slab, mm. Note that this distance may
be different on the left and right sides of the beam.

α Axial compression stress level indicator for classification of

section.

αs, αl Modular ratio Es/Ec for short term and long term loading, re-
spectively, unitless.

αe Effective modular ratio for a specific value of ρl

β Ratio of smaller to larger end moments.

Notation Page 17 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

δ Maximum span deflection considering the effect of PCC, mm.

δc Maximum span deflection for full composite connection, mm.

Maximum span deflection for live load component of a load

δLL
combination, mm.

Maximum span deflection for total load of a load combination,

δTL
mm.

δallow Allowable maximum span deflection, mm.

δcamber Maximum camber deflection, mm.

δLL,allow Allowable maximum span deflection for live load component of

a load combination, mm

δTL,allow Allowable maximum span deflection for total load of a load

combination, mm.

1
 275  2
ε Constant   .
 py 
 

λ Slenderness parameter. It is the minor axis slenderness ratio

Lb / r22 for lateral-torsional buckling of non-composite beam.
For composite beam, this parameter is not required.

λ Limiting slenderness.
0

λ Equivalent slenderness.
LT

λ Limiting equivalent slenderness.

Lo

η Perry factor.

η Perry coefficient.
LT

ν Slenderness factor.

Notation Page 18 of 19
Composite Beam Design BS 5950-90 General and Notation

ρl Proportion of the long term loading to the total loading in a

load combination. This ratio is taken by considering the ratio
of the corresponding moments in the program, unitless. It
ranges between 0 and 1.

ψ Monosymmetry index.

References
British Standard Institution (BSI). 1990a. British Standard Structural Use of
Steelwork in Buildings. Part 1. Code of Practice for Design of Simple
and Continuous Construction: Hot Rolled Sections. 389 Chiswick High
Road, London, U.K. W4 4AL.

British Standard Institution (BSI). 1990b. British Standard Structural Use of

Steelwork in Buildings. Part 3. Design in Composite Construction, Sec-
tion 3.1 Code of Practice for Design of Simple and Continuous Com-
posite Beams. 389 Chiswick High Road, London, U.K. W4 4AL.

References Page 19 of 19