Composite beam

A composite beam which includes:

• (a) a beam;
• (b) a solid slab or a composite slab positioned on and supported by the beam, the solid slab and the composite slab including a slab section and a plurality of concrete ribs extending from the slab section;
• (c) at least one shear connector positioned in at least one of the concrete ribs and connecting the solid slab or the composite slab to the beam;
• and
• (d) a reinforcing component embedded in at least one concrete rib that includes a said embedded shear connector or connectors, the reinforcing component being in the form of a mesh that includes line wires and cross wires that are connected together at the intersections of the wires, the mesh being positioned so that the line wires extend in the longitudinal direction of the concrete rib, ie in the longitudinal direction of the beam, and the mesh being positioned in the concrete rib between 25% and 75% of the height of the concrete rib.