Structural behaviour of eccentrically loaded precast sandwich panels

Results of an experimental investigation to study the ultimate strength behaviour of precast concrete sandwich panels (PCSP) with steel truss shear connectors are reported. Six full-scale sandwich panels with variable slenderness ratio were cast and tested under eccentric loads. Deflection characteristics, variations of strains across the insulation layer, strains in shear connectors, crack appearance and propagation under increasing load were recorded and analysed. The role of the shear truss connectors in transferring load from the outer wythe (layer) to the inner and ensuring composite behaviour was also observed. Results obtained showed that all panels behaved in a fully composite manner under eccentric load till failure. The ultimate strength of the PCSPs was found to decrease non-linearly with the increase in the slenderness ratio. Because of the complex behaviour of PCSP due to its material non-linearity and the interaction between its various components, finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted. Comparison with test results indicated that the FEA closely estimate the wall strength and formulae based on reinforced concrete principles underestimate the wall strength.