Behaviour of steel-foam concrete composite panel under in-plane lateral load

This paper presents the details of experimental investigations on steel-foam concrete composite (SFCC) panel subjected to monotonic and cyclic in-plane lateral load. SFCC panel consists of profiled steel sheet as the outer skins and foam concrete of density 1200 kg/m3 as the infill, connected together by using through-through mild steel studs. Two SFCC panels are tested under static loading and two similar specimens under cyclic loading. From the tests, it is observed that the number of studs provided are adequate to cause the failure of panel by yielding of steel sheets prior to buckling under static loading and tearing of steel sheets under cyclic loading. The ultimate cyclic load capacity of SFCC panel is not less than 80% of their monotonic load capacity and possesses high ductility after the peak load. The suitability of proposed SFCC panel to act as shear wall in seismic resistant buildings is verified.