Design of hybrid structures

Well-designed hybrid structures can combine the different performance strengths materials. This guide focuses on design approaches for concrete structures reinforced in an unconventional way by steel profiles. It explains force transfer mechanisms of steel profiles and oncrete interfaces, and an analysis of the characteristics of hybrid structures, including slendercomponents. Several types of hybrid designs are addressed: walls and columns with several embedded steel profiles, connections strengthened by steel profiles between steel and composite or reinforced concrete components, including the specific case of shear keys connecting deep beams or flat slabs to columns. The transition zones in partly reinforced concrete and partly composite columns are also covered.

Design of Hybrid Structures draws on the European SMARTCOCO research project of experimentation and numerical modelling, giving practical guidance for designers and introducing the subject for researchers and graduate students.

André Plumier, Honorary Professor at the University of Liège, obtained his PhD on welding residual stresses and their effect on stability. He has participated in twenty research projects in earthquake engineering and hybrid structures. He conceived the dogbone, a detail for the ductility of steel structures. He was one expert building up the Eurocode 8 for seismic design (2004), to the revision of which he now officially contributes. Active as support in projects involving hybrid details and seismic assessment and retrofitting, he has also given seminars on seismic design.

Hervé Degée started as research associate at the University of Liège working on stability issues in steel and steel-concrete structures in normal and seismic conditions. Since 2014, he is professor at Hasselt University (Belgium) where he is heading the Structural Testing Laboratory (ACB²). He has been participating to about 20 European research projects and is very active in the standardization at national and European level, being a member of various working groups for Eurocodes 3, 4, 6 and 8.