PSI - Issue 84

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 84 (2026) 991–998

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference Keywords: cable-stayed bridges; steel-concrete slabs; compressive-flexural stress; shear lag; connector deformability. Abstract Contemporary design codes, including Eurocode 4, address the reduction of the effective width of the concrete slab primarily in relation to flexural behaviour, while the influence of axial forces is generally disregarded. This omission can lead to significant inaccuracies in the structural assessment of composite decks, particularly in cases where axial–bending interaction is non negligible. Consequently, practitioners are often required to resort to advance linear or nonlinear Finite Element analyses employing computationally demanding shell or solid elements. To overcome these limitations, the present study proposes a novel, simplified design methodology for composite double-girder decks subjected to combined axial and bending actions. The proposed framework enables the direct verification of composite cross-sections at both the Ultimate and the Serviceability Limit State, in accordance with the provisions of Eurocode 4, while explicitly accounting for the deformability of shear connectors. 1. Introduction Steel–concrete composite construction has established itself as a leading solution in contemporary bridge engineering. The widespread adoption of continuous composite beams in complex infrastructures is primarily attributed to their enhanced stiffness, improved load-carrying capacity and reduced deflections under service loads. III Fabre Conference: Existing Bridges, Viaducts, and Tunnels: Research, Innovation, and Applications Shear lag analysis in steel-concrete decks of cable-stayed bridges Gian Felice Giaccu a , Emanuele Maiorana b, *, Luigi Fenu c , Bruno Briseghella d a Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, University of Sassari, Alghero, Italy b Department of Economics, Science, Engineering and Design, University of the Republic of San Marino, San Marino c Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy d College of Civil Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China

* Corresponding author. E-mail address: e.maiorana@unirsm.sm

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.06.127