Title: Behavior of Concrete Sandwich Panels under Eccentric Axial Compression—Testing and Finite Element Analysis

Author(s): Qian Huang, Ehab Hamed, and R. Ian Gilbert

Publication: Structural Journal

Volume: 117

Issue: 3

Appears on pages(s): 235-247

Keywords: buckling; composite action; concrete sandwich panels; fiberreinforced polymer (FRP)

DOI: 10.14359/51723502

Date: 5/1/2020

Abstract:
The structural behavior of precast concrete sandwich panels made with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) diagonal-bar connectors is investigated in this paper. The results of two series of tests are reported. The first test includes full-scale concrete sandwich panels under four-point bending, and the second describes the response of panels under eccentric axial compression. The panels subjected to bending exhibited a very ductile response, with a typically flexural failure characterized by yielding of the steel reinforcement. The axially loaded panels failed due to buckling characterized by a limit-point mode, and their strength was very close to that of a solid reinforced concrete (RC) panel of the same dimensions. The experimental investigation highlights the effects of the diameter of the FRP diagonal bars, insulation type, load eccentricity, and other parameters. The experimental results are compared to predictions obtained from a finite element model that was previously developed by the authors. Good correlation was obtained between the experimental and numerical results.