Performance of fibre-reinforced high-strength concrete with steel sandwich composite panels under static loading

Abstract

This study investigates the performance of steel–concrete composite panels, which consist of fibre-reinforced high-strength concrete (FRHSC) on the compression face and a specially configured steel sandwich as tension reinforcement. The performance of the composite panel is compared to similar ordinary reinforced concrete panels. The latter is reinforced with the maximum reinforcement ratio specified by the codes. The static response of the composite panel is obtained numerically using finite element modelling and experimentally under third point bending tests. A bending capacity calculation based on the EC2 code is also carried out to predict the peak load of the composite panels. Parametric studies are done by varying the steel sandwich core design as well as the concrete layer strength. Test results showed that the EASP2 configuration with an average reduction of 33% in overall weight outperforms the high-strength concrete panels reinforced with a 3.9% reinforcement ratio. Overall, the EASP could achieve higher ductility compared to reinforced concrete panels. The numerical and analytical calculations show good accuracy in comparison to the experimental results. The combination of FRHSC and steel sandwich structure demonstrated good potential as structural replacements of reinforced concrete slabs due to better weight-to-performance ratios and high ductility properties of the panel. This study forms the first part of an ongoing study of suitable composite panels for use in resisting blasts and penetration.