Volex Labs / Calculations / Steel-concrete composite beam design to Eurocode 4.

Steel-concrete composite beam design to Eurocode 4.

Give Volex Anvil the steel section, slab depth and span, and it designs the composite beam: the effective slab width, the plastic moment resistance MRd with the concrete flange in compression, the degree of shear connection η and the number of shear studs required, plus the composite deflection.

The module follows EC4 §6.2.1.2 plastic theory and is validated against the standard reference — Johnson, 'Composite Structures of Steel and Concrete' — and SCI P356. The composite section typically carries well over 1.5× the bare-steel plastic moment.

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What Volex Anvil checks

Validated against the published example

UB 457×191×67 composite beam — Johnson Example 3.1 Johnson 'Composite Structures of Steel and Concrete' 4th Ed Ex 3.1; SCI P356
QuantityPublishedVolex AnvilError
Degree of shear connection η0.9280.9280.00%
Plastic moment MRd830.3 kNm830.3 kNm0.00%
This case is one of 359 published checks the platform passes — the full table, with every source and every error, is public at volexlabs.com/verification.

Frequently asked

Does it design the shear studs?
Yes — the stud resistance PRd is computed to §6.6.3.1 and the number of studs for full or partial shear connection is reported, with the degree of connection η.
Full or partial shear connection?
Both. The module reports η and checks the partial-connection limits; MRd is reduced by the partial-interaction relationship where η < 1.
What is it validated against?
The degree of shear connection and plastic moment are checked against Johnson Example 3.1 and SCI P356 — both within 0.00%.
Free tier?
Yes — 10 calculations a month free with clause references; Pro (£29/month) adds unlimited runs and PDF calc sheets.

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