Experimental and analytical studies on impact behaviours of a steel–concrete–steel sandwich beam with novel interlocked angle connectors

Abstract

The dynamic responses of steel–concrete–steel (SCS) sandwich beams with novel interlocked angle connectors (IACs) under low-velocity impact were studied and presented in this paper. The impact tests on the SCS sandwich beams were first implemented using a drop-weight impact test machine, and the failure modes, displacement, and impact responses were obtained from the tests. The varying parameters considered in the tests included the thicknesses of the concrete and steel faceplates, as well as the spacing and type of IACs. The test results indicated that nine specimens experienced flexural failure, and one specimen exhibited shear failure. Moreover, local buckling of the top steel faceplate occurred in four specimens with a relatively larger spacing of IACs. A two-degree-of-freedom (TDOF) analytical model considering the strain rate effect was proposed for the SCS sandwich beam to obtain their impact forces and mid-span displacements. The analytically-predicted responses of the SCS sandwich beam with IACs agreed well with the test data.