Investigation on the behaviour of hybrid beams is presented. Hybrid beam stands for an element with hybrid cross sections. This means sections that consist of steel and concrete parts, connected together with composite dowels, and both are considered for shear flow analysis. In practice, a more general solution may be used for bridges in the form of a beam in which the span sections are hybrid and the support sections are concrete. For the first time in the world, it was decided to introduce a girder in bridge construction, in which a concrete web with a thickness of only 20 cm was formed, directly connected to the steel web, so that a hybrid cross-section is created in accordance with the new European design regulations currently being developed (1994-1-102). The solution is new itself and requires also a new approach for internal forces determination. In this paper a parametric analysis of different hybrid beams with span range from 20 to 40 m and with different reinforcment ratio is performed to get knowledge on the influence of (1) concrete cracking and (2) rheology of concrete on the redistribution of internal forces. Results are analysed and conclusions are presented. As a final step, a general method for computer aided modelling of hybrid beams ( hybrid beam concept) is proposed, which is based on the uncracked analysis. Such an analysis is designer-friendly and while appropriate benchmarked (as in this paper) can spare a lot of time needed for detailed iterative cracked analysis.

The article draws attention to certain aspects of calculating the width of cracks and stresses in composite elements under bending, in which the slab is located in the tension zone. If semi-rigid joints are used in the element, in which the beam is attached to the column by bolts, two types of areas should be distinct in which the reinforcement stresses will be calculated in a different way. The method of calculating stresses in reinforcement will depend on the type of a used joint or on the distance of the considered cross-section from the semi-rigid joint. In order to distinguish the method of calculating stresses in the paper, two areas were introduced: specifically area B and area D. Area B will be the area where the principle of flat sections can be applied, and stresses in the reinforcement are determined using the classical theory by adding the component responsible for the tension stiffening phenomenon. Area D is the area in the vicinity of the semi-rigid joint, where the principle of flat sections cannot be applied. To calculate stresses, consider the balance of joints using the available models of the semi-rigid joint, in particular the spring model. The paper presents the formulas for calculating stresses in the D area for two types semi-rigid joints: joint with a flush end-plate with 2 rows of bolts are used and joint with an extended end-plate with 3 rows of bolts are used.