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IS 15917:2010 is the Indian Standard (BIS) for building design and erection using mixed/composite construction - code of practice. This code details the design and erection procedures for buildings using mixed/composite construction, where structural steel and concrete elements work together. It provides limit state design guidelines for composite beams, columns, and slabs, with a significant focus on the design of shear connectors that ensure composite action.
Building Design and Erection Using Mixed/Composite Construction - Code of practice
Overview
Status
Current
Usage level
Frequently Used
Domain
Structural Engineering — Planning, Housing and Pre-fabricated Construction
EN 1994-1-1:2004European Committee for Standardization (CEN), Europe
HighCurrent
Eurocode 4: Design of composite steel and concrete structures - Part 1-1: General rules and rules for buildings
Directly corresponds to the design of composite beams, columns, and slabs for buildings.
AISC 360-16American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), USA
HighCurrent
Specification for Structural Steel Buildings
Chapter I, 'Design of Composite Members', covers the same principles and member types.
AS/NZS 2327:2017Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand
HighCurrent
Composite structures - Composite steel-concrete construction in buildings
A dedicated standard for composite steel-concrete building design, similar in scope to IS 15917.
BS 5950-3-1:1990+A1:2010British Standards Institution (BSI), UK
MediumWithdrawn
Structural use of steelwork in building - Part 3: Design in composite construction - Section 3.1: Code of practice for design of simple and continuous composite beams
Covers composite beams but is less comprehensive than IS 15917, which also includes columns and slabs in detail.
Key Differences
≠IS 15917 uses a partial safety factor for structural steel (yielding) of γ_m0 = 1.10, whereas Eurocode 4 uses γ_M0 = 1.0, indicating a different level of inherent safety applied to the material.
≠The minimum required degree of shear connection in IS 15917 is 0.4 for all cases, while in AISC 360, it is lower at 0.25, potentially allowing for more flexible (less stiff) beam designs.
≠Load combinations and load factors are adopted from parent codes (IS 875 series for India, EN 1990 for Europe, ASCE 7 for USA), leading to different design loads for the same nominal loads.
≠While IS 15917 provides guidance on fire resistance, it is less prescriptive than the dedicated Eurocode 4 part (EN 1994-1-2), which offers more detailed calculation models for fire design.
Key Similarities
≈All standards are based on the Limit State Design (LSD) or Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) philosophy, considering both Ultimate Limit States (ULS) and Serviceability Limit States (SLS).
≈The fundamental principle of calculating the plastic moment capacity of composite beams using a plastic stress distribution (rectangular stress block for concrete and full yielding of the steel section) is common across all codes.
≈The rules for determining the effective width of the concrete slab acting as the flange of a composite T-beam are conceptually identical between IS 15917 and Eurocode 4, often using a factor of L/8 (where L is the effective span).
≈IS 15917 and Eurocode 4 both require that headed stud shear connectors intended for ductile behavior must have a characteristic slip capacity (δ_uk) of at least 6 mm.
≈The classification of cross-sections into classes (Plastic/Class 1, Compact/Class 2, etc.) based on width-to-thickness ratios to determine their rotation capacity is a shared methodology.
Parameter Comparison
Parameter
IS Value
International
Source
Partial Safety Factor for Structural Steel (Yielding)
γ_m0 = 1.10
γ_M0 = 1.0
EN 1994-1-1
Partial Safety Factor for Reinforcing Steel
γ_s = 1.15
γ_S = 1.15
EN 1994-1-1
Partial Safety Factor for Concrete (Compression)
γ_c = 1.50
γ_C = 1.50
EN 1994-1-1
Partial Safety Factor for Shear Connectors
γ_vs = 1.25
γ_v = 1.25
EN 1994-1-1
Minimum Degree of Shear Connection (η)
≥ 0.4
≥ 0.25
AISC 360-16
Effective Flange Width for Internal Beam (per side)
L₀ / 8
Lₑ / 8
EN 1994-1-1
Required Slip Capacity for Ductile Studs
≥ 6 mm
≥ 6 mm
EN 1994-1-1
⚠ Verify details from original standards before use
Key Values6
Quick Reference Values
Minimum concrete grade for composite membersM20
Partial safety factor for shear connectors (γvs)1.25
Minimum degree of shear connection for beams0.4
Maximum longitudinal spacing of shear connectorsLesser of 600 mm and 4 x slab thickness
Minimum reinforcement in concrete slab (profiled sheets)0.2% of the concrete area above the ribs
Maximum slip at serviceability limit state0.3 mm
Key Formulas
Qd = Qk / γvs — Design shear strength of a stud connector
be = Σbei + bw — Effective width of concrete flange
Nc, Rd = A a * fyd + 0.85 * A c * fcd + Asr * fsd — Design axial compression resistance of composite column
Tables & Referenced Sections
Key Tables
Table 3 - Effective breadth of flange for composite beams
Table 4 - Design strength of headed stud shear connectors
Table 5 - Minimum end distance and edge distance for shear connectors
What is the minimum grade of concrete for composite construction?+
M20 is the minimum grade of concrete to be used (Clause 5.2.1).
What is the minimum degree of shear connection required for a beam?+
A minimum degree of shear connection of 0.4 is required to ensure ductile behaviour (Clause 7.4.1).
What partial safety factor is used for shear connectors?+
The partial safety factor for shear connectors, γvs, is 1.25 (Clause 9.3.2.1).
How is the effective width of the concrete flange calculated?+
The effective width (be) is the sum of effective widths on each side of the beam web (bei), calculated as Lo/12 for an internal beam, where Lo is the distance between points of zero moment (Clause 7.3.1).