Compressive membrane action in axially restrained hollow core slabs: Experimental investigation

Abstract

AbstractWhen a concrete slab is excessively loaded due to an accidental event, compressive membrane action can be activated in order to generate an alternative load transfer to the remaining supports, which can considerably enhance the load‐carrying capacity. This can increase the structural reliability of the components, delay or even prevent a progressive collapse and consequently increase the robustness of concrete structures. Although the beneficial effects of compressive membrane action in reinforced concrete slabs have been recognized for decades, only limited research has been focusing on this effect in prestressed concrete members, like hollow core slabs. Therefore, a novel real‐scale test set‐up has been developed in order to assess this phenomenon in real‐scale hollow core slabs. The results indicate that, despite the presence of the large hollow cores, compressive membrane action can significantly improve the load‐carrying capacity of hollow core slabs under excessive loading. In parallel, a numerical finite element model has been established in order to model the structural behavior (i.e., compressive membrane action) as per the investigated test program. The model was able to correlate the results from the experiments very well, and emphasized the large influence of the concrete tensile strength on the ultimate failure load of concrete hollow core slabs in compressive membrane action.