Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
260994 | Construction and Building Materials | 2008 | 13 Pages |
The structural behaviour of precast concrete sandwich panels (PCSP) under flexure is studied both experimentally and theoretically. The details and results of the test program are described, and the observed behaviour patterns are discussed. The theoretical investigation consists of finite element modelling of the test specimens. The finite element results were compared with the experimental data. The effect of steel shear connector’s stiffness as measured by its diameter on the ultimate strength and the compositeness of the panels was also investigated. Test results showed that the mode of failure and crack pattern of PCSP acting as slab elements were very similar to those of solid slabs especially when the two concrete wythes act in a fully composite manner. The finite element analysis of the PCSP resulted in reasonable estimation of the experimental load–deflection curves as well strain in shear connectors. The ultimate strength and the degree of composite action desired were found to depend to a large extent upon the stiffness of the shear connector used. Two-dimensional finite element model was proposed to determine the degree of composite action in PCSP systems with truss shaped shear connectors.