A numerical study on the through thickness shear behavior of EPS sandwich panels

Abstract

The expansion of industry has rapidly increased the need of energy; necessitating a greater usage of energy resources and posing substantial environmental dangers in the process. Thus, an energy-efficient modular building system appears to be a must-have choice for the India's required mass housing at affordable cost, while the environmental concerns are also looked into account. Insulating Construction Panels are one of the pre-casted building materials; comprising of a core panel of expanded polystyrene insulation encased in galvanized welded steel reinforcing mesh and shear connectors, which is then placed to the site with pressurized concrete skins on both the sides of the core. The structural integrity of these buildings, on the other hand, is heavily reliant on the functioning of these shear connectors and the degree of composite action (DCA). The present study aims to develop a full scale computational model of a single storey building made up of modular EPS panels, to study the effect of spacing and the consequences of different kinds of shear connector failures. Furthermore, the effect of door and window openings on the structural responses of the EPS panel building are discussed. The through thickness shear behavior of these materials are also investigated using multiple static and dynamic analyses steps. The mechanical behaviors of these panels are observed to be widely varying with the spacing, diameter, and adequacy of the shear connectors. The results infer that the present work seems to be necessary for the safety assurance of the insulated precast building panel structural systems, which has a lot of potential for practical usage and thus can help to accomplish the objectives of efficient and economical sustainable building systems in the upcoming years.