Adhesively Bonded Steel–Concrete Composite Structures: A Systematic Literature Review

Adhesively bonded steel–concrete composite structures have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional mechanically connected systems, offering continuous stress transfer and potential improvements in stiffness, load redistribution, and serviceability behavior. However, uncertainties regarding durability and long-term reliability have limited their broader implementation in structural practice. This study presents a PRISMA 2020-based systematic literature review synthesizing experimental, numerical, and theoretical research on adhesively bonded connections in steel–concrete composite structures. A total of 64 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and February 2026 were identified through systematic screening of Scopus and Web of Science datasets. The lack of methodological homogeneity across studies regarding testing protocols, conditions, and reported performance metrics in the literature led to a qualitative thematic synthesis and a bibliometric mapping. A total of six thematic axes (global behavior of bonded members, bond interface mechanics and characterization, numerical modeling approaches, strengthening and retrofit solutions, durability and long-term performance, and hybrid connection systems) were developed to encompass all the studies’ primary objectives, synthesize the most recurring themes, and highlight a significant gap related to durability and long-term performance in the state of the art. Beyond classifying the literature, this review contributes a substrate-conditioned interpretive framework that links interfacial mechanics, durability evolution, and reliability-based design, and it sets out a structured roadmap towards durability-informed design criteria for adhesively bonded steel–concrete composite systems.