Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Modern construction techniques for floor and slab systems often make use of the composite action developed between steel and concrete. Knowledge of the magnitude of adhesive force, other than mechanical bond, is necessary in the design of permanent steel formwork, which ultimately becomes an integral part of the load bearing reinforced concrete structure. To investigate the extent of adhesion at the interface between concrete and flat metal surfaces, different treatments of the metal surfaces were considered. Results are presented for six types of treated and untreated metal plates when tested in a pull-off mode with conventional concrete. The mode and the type of failures were investigated, and those parameters, which are considered to be significant in the study of this phenomenon, evaluated