The Master's thesis of researcher Maryam Hamid Zaboun was discussed at the College of Engineering, University of Basrah, Department of Civil Engineering, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Abdul Amir Attallah Karim and Professor Kadhim Zaboun Nasser, entitled "Behavior and Flexural Strength of Composite Steel-Reactive Powder Concrete Decks

‏The increasing need to use advanced materials with high-performance in the structural engineering industry has led to search for alternatives to conventional concrete. One of the most important advancements in this field is the use of reactive powder concrete (RPC), as it showed superior performance as a structural material. However, some situations need to compose steel sections with the RPC to form structural members that meet some high engineering requirements.    
The current study aims to expand the current understanding and knowledge of the flexural performance of composite decks that consist of steel I-section and reactive powder concrete (RPC) through an experimental investigation. To attain this goal, taking into consideration the complex interaction among the structural elements of the deck (RPC, steel section and shear connectors), an experimental program consisting of testing eight simply supported composite decks subjected to a mid-span load was implemented.
While the RPC components, the dimensions of the I-steel section, and the length and the width of the deck were all kept unchanged, the influence of several parameters was studied. These include the thickness of the RPC deck, the number of studs used for shear connecting, the use of alternative types of stud shear connectors such as bolts and steel sections, and the direction of the applied load. The performance of the specimens was evaluated in terms of ultimate load, crack distribution, initial cracking load, and the magnitude of relative slip recorded between the concrete deck and the steel section at the end of the specimens.
The experimental results revealed that increasing the deck thickness can enhance the response of the composite deck in terms of ultimate load, initial crack load and end slip. Furthermore, test results reflects the contribution of increasing the number of studs in enhancing the behavior of composite structures. On the other hand, using an insufficient number of shear connectors may cause a reduction in bond along the axis of the studs, which may develop longitudinal cracks along the top surface of the deck. Also, regarding the use of alternatives to the conventional studs, results showed that only a slight difference was recorded in the value of ultimate load for the specimen with thread bolts compared to that with studs. However, a high value of relative slip was noticed for the specimen with bolt shear connectors. On the other hand, employing transversal steel angles as shear connectors had a positive impact on the response of composite decks, namely reducing end slip and preventing longitudinal cracks.
Based on the study outcomes, it is hoped that the current investigation provides an additional understanding of how the studied parameters are affecting the performance of composite decks