A composite slab with profiled steel decking has proved over the years to be one of the simpler, faster, lighter, and economical constructions in steel-framed building systems. The system is well accepted by the construction industry due to many advantages over other types of floor systems. The construction industry has been looking beyond the conventional methods and composite slab construction is one of the viable options. Cold-formed thin-walled profiled steel decking sheets with embossments on top flanges and webs are widely used in many composite slab constructions. Profiled steel deck performs two major functions that act as a permanent formwork during the concrete casting and also as tensile reinforcement after the concrete has hardened. The only additional nominal light mesh reinforcement bars that needs to be provided is to take care of shrinkage and temperature, usually in the form of welded wire fabric.

The profiled decking sheet must provide the resistance to vertical separation and horizontal slippage between the contact surface of the concrete and the decking. It also permits transfer of shear stresses from the concrete slab to the steel deck. The horizontal slippage between the concrete and the steel deck will exist due to the longitudinal shear stress when the sheer force of the shear connectors reaches its ultimate strength. Thin-walled cold-formed profiled steel decks used to build the slab specimens are made of structural quality steel sheets conforming to ASTM and IS 1079. A galvanized surface coating with an average thickness of 60 gsm is coated on each face of the steel deck. The thickness of the Steel sheet ranging from 0.80 mm to 2.00 mm, depending on load parameters of the building. Composite slab reinforced with profiled steel decking sheet means there is a provision in the system for positive mechanical interlock between the interface of the concrete and the steel deck by means of embossments.