Yes / Test results of steel-ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) composite beams with welded steel shear keys (SSKs) under four-point bending are presented in this paper. The objective of the investigation is to reduce the self-weight and manufacturing cost of large-span structures. The study investigates the effects of strength of concrete slab, type, spacing and size of SSK, and concrete slab height and width on flexural behavior of composite beams. The experimental results demonstrate that enhancing concrete strength, reducing SSK spacing, increasing concrete slab size, and using large-size SSK can all significantly enhance the flexural performance. The composite beams with welded SSK exhibit a maximum relative slip of less than 4 mm, while the counterpart with welded bolts has a maximum relative slip greater than 4 mm. The study shows that the welded SSK is more effective than welded bolts in improving the interface shear performance of composite beams and improving the stiffness and load capacity. Additionally, the study defines four failure modes of steel-UHPC composite beams, and the formulae for flexural capacity is developed based on the reasonable basic assumptions. The calculated results fit well with the tested results. The research findings can be provided as a technical support for the design and application of steel-UHPC composite beams. / High-End Foreign Experts Project of Ministry of Science and Technology, China (G2022014054L), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20201436), the Science and Technology Cooperation Fund Project of Yangzhou City and Yangzhou University (YZ2022194), the Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Construction System (2023ZD104, 2023ZD105), the Science and Technology Project of Yangzhou Construction System (202309, 202312) / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 29 May 2025.

Yes / To investigate the flexural performance of steel-UHPC (ultra-high performance concrete) composite beams with welded steel shear keys (SSK), eight specimens were experimental studied by four-point bending test. The finite element (FE) models were established based on the experimental results, then, the failure mode, load, deflection, strain and relative interface slip were parametric analyzed. The influences of strength, dimensions and configuration of upper concrete slab, steel beams as well as SSK on flexural performance, in terms of load-deflection response, ductility and ultimate energy dissipation, were studied. The experimental results show that steel-UHPC composite beams have superior bearing capacity, deformation capacity, ductility and energy dissipation ability when compared with steel-NSC (normal strength concrete) composite counterparts. Increasing the height of upper concrete slab has a significant effect on improving bending capacity and flexural stiffness, while increasing the width has a significant effect on enhancing deformation, ductility and ultimate energy dissipation. Increasing the yield strength, thickness of web and flange of steel beams has significant effect on improving bending capacity. Reducing the SSK spacing or increasing the yield strength of SSK, height and thickness slightly improve the cracking, yield and ultimate loads, reduce deflections, enhance the flexural stiffness, slightly weakens the ductility and ultimate energy dissipation. Besides, four types of failure modes were defined, based on reasonable assumptions, formulae for bearing capacity were proposed, and the predicted results fit well with experimental results. The results can be taken as reference for the design and application of steel-UHPC composite beams in long-span and heavy-load structures. / The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support to the work by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20201436), High-End Foreign Experts Project of Ministry of Science and Technology, China (G2022014054L), Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Construction System (2021ZD06, 2018ZD047), Science and Technology Cooperation Fund Project of Yangzhou City and Yangzhou University (YZU212105, YZ2022194), Science and Technology Project of Yangzhou Construction System (202309, 202312, 202204).