Design Of Wall Panels Research Articles

Mechanical investigation of alkali-activated prefabricated sustainable wall panels using ashes and stone dust

There is an increasing trend for the development of sustainable structural elements. Because of the massive scale, sustainable materials, methods, and practices can make a significant difference in the construction industry. This research uses locally available wastes like bagasse ash, fly ash, and stone dust along with silty clay for the development of versatile prefabricated wall panels. The goal is to find an optimized design of wall panels based on strength, weight, and cost. 20 panels were cast by varying three material compositions and two Na2SiO3/NaOH (SS/SH) ratios. The results show that wall panels have adequate strength to take care of the flexural and axial loading for houses. Based on weight /density clay-based panels are 5.7 % and stone dust-based panels are 5 % lighter than cement-based panels. The stone dust-based ferrocement geopolymer panel with a 1.5 SS/SH ratio has attained an ultimate load of 125 kN, which is close to the cement-based ferrocement panel load of 136 kN. The material cost of GPC wall panels is nearly similar to a brick masonry wall. However, in the case of cement panels, the cost is 47 % less than that of the brick masonry wall. At the same time, cement panels can have an adverse impact on the environment, firstly by reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and secondly by utilization of waste ashes damaging the environment.

Weathering resistance of novel sustainable prefabricated thermal insulation wall

External walls, serving as the primary medium for heat exchange between the building and the external environment, has its thermal loss comprising the largest proportion of building energy consumption. Therefore, enhancing the thermal insulation capacity of the wall is of great significance in reducing building energy consumption. In this paper, a novel sustainable prefabricated expanded polystyrene (EPS) thermal insulation wall panel with irregular column frame structures was developed. And weathering tests combined with finite element simulations were conducted to investigate its weathering performance and degradation patterns. The results revealed that In the weathering test, the panel surfaces did not exhibit apparent water seepage cracks, powdering, hollowing, peeling, etc. There was no occurrence of facing brick detachment or damage. The outer surface concrete of the wall panel experienced resistance during normal thermal expansion and contraction, generating compressive stress during expansion and tensile stress when contracted. In addition, the bond strength of the specimens decreased by 8.1% after the thermal-rain cycles, 5.1% after the thermal-cold cycles, and 12.1% after the freeze-thaw cycles. In the numerical simulations, the temperature stress at various positions on the concrete wall had a noticeable mutual restraining effect on the force deformation of the nearby concrete. There was a significant risk of cracking in the middle and around the opening, particularly in the lower part of the wall panel. This study serves as a basis for the degradation analyses and optimization design of the sandwich insulation wall panels for sustainability.

Advanced Drone Surveillance System for Traffic Management

The growing need for sustainable and efficient construction practices has spurred a surge in the development of advanced building materials. Lightweight wall panels have emerged as a promising solution to address the challenges of traditional construction methods. This abstract delves into the design, composition, and benefits of lightweight wall panels, highlighting their contributions to sustainability, energy efficiency, and ease of installation. The lightweight wall panel comprises a combination of materials such as foam cores, composite materials, and reinforcements, carefully engineered to optimize strength while significantly reducing overall weight. This innovative construction material offers various advantages over conventional walls, including enhanced thermal and acoustic insulation properties, increased structural integrity, and improved resistance to fire and moisture. Furthermore, the streamlined manufacturing process of lightweight wall panels minimizes waste generation and reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation and installation. These panels also facilitate quicker construction timelines, enabling cost-effectiveness and increased flexibility in building design. This abstract discusses the diverse applications of lightweight wall panels across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, emphasizing their adaptability and versatility in meeting diverse construction requirements. Additionally, it explores ongoing research and developments in the field, aiming to further enhance the performance and sustainability aspects of these panels.

Concrete for Living Walls: Current Status and a New Design Recommendation

Concrete may be a promising material for application in living walls, broadening existing vertical greening systems and, most importantly, reducing installation costs. This study presents the concept of layered living concrete (LLC) wall panels that were developed and field-tested over the past 3 years. Simultaneously with long-term field observations, several laboratory studies on the selection of a rational concrete mix composition were carried out. Based on field data, the results of laboratory tests, and numerical simulations, a new LLC wall panel design was proposed. The new panel design retains the previous idea of a layered structure suitable for natural colonization by plants, but also adds improved material characteristics, rational dimensions, the economical use of water, and, potentially, the ability to hasten the greening of vertical surfaces.

Electromagnetic Analysis of Options of the TRT Tokamak First Wall Panel Design and Its Optimization Based on Calculations for the Downward VDE Scenario

Electromagnetic Analysis of Options of the TRT Tokamak First Wall Panel Design and Its Optimization Based on Calculations for the Downward VDE Scenario

Simplified numerical model development for advanced design of lightweight-concrete encased cold-formed steel shear wall panels

Since cold-formed steel (CFS) elements are susceptible to complex buckling phenomena that decrease their structural capability, many strengthening trends have been developed so far. One of these methods is the use of polystyrene aggregate concrete (PAC) as bracings in order to restrain the global and distortional buckling modes of CFS members, where a new structural system comprising CFS elements encased in PAC has been proposed. In this research, PAC-encased CFS shear panels have been investigated numerically, where a simplified finite element model was developed to predict the structural behavior and capacity of such members. This goal was achieved using ANSYS software, where a geometrically and materially nonlinear analysis with imperfections (GMNI) was used to solve the problem of PAC-encased CFS shear panels. The full detailed volume-contact element-based concrete model was replaced by spring elements perpendicular to the plate’s plane with equivalent properties, and beam elements that could represent the concrete block more accurately regarding the global lateral stiffness and shear resistance. Consequently, for this case, the combination of local and global stiffness of PAC could produce the actual shear behavior of PAC-filled wall panels. The developed model was validated against previous experimental tests from the literature. Parametric studies were conducted in terms of the imperfection amplitudes, the stiffness of springs and the properties of PAC. Finally, the structural performance of PAC-encased panels under combined axial and shear loading was examined, where the effect of different axial load levels on the lateral strength was determined, and an interaction equation was proposed.

Analysis of structural behavior of thin wall façade using textile reinforced concrete

Recently, textile reinforced concrete has been increasingly used in the production of precast thin wall facade. This type of material has advantages such as lightweight and corrosion resistance. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the flexural behavior of thin wall panels using textile reinforced concrete through experimental and numerical simulation methods. The experimental study was conducted to determine the load capacity, stiffness, and failure mode of the wall panels. The numerical simulation study showed similar results to the experimental study. Therefore, the results demonstrate the potential of numerical simulation methods in the design of thin wall panels using textile reinforced concrete.

THE HEALİNG POWER OF ART GUZELYURT DİSTRİCT STATE HOSPİTAL CERAMİC WALL PANEL CASE

Geçmişten günümüze kadar insanoğlu, yaşadığı mekanların ihtiyaçları doğrultusunda, fiziki şartlarının yerine getirilmesi yanında, estetik ihtiyacının da karşılamasına yönelik çalışmaları olmuştur. Burada sanatın çok önemli bir rolü vardır. Mimari yapılarda sanat eserlerinin kullanımı ile insan ve mekân arasında duygusal bir bağ kurulmaktadır. İnsan hayatının en önemli mekânı olan hastaneler, sağlık ihtiyacını karşılamak için yapılmış önemli yapılardır. Genellikle kişilerin sağlıkla ilgili yaşadıkları problemleri olduğu zaman zorunlu olarak gittikleri hastaneler, toplum içerisinde olumsuz çağrışımları olan mekanları içermektedir. Bu bağlamda son yıllarda bu algının kırılması için hastane yapılarında tasarım ve sanatsal çalışmalar boyutunda önemli değişmeler olduğu gözlenmektedir. Sanatın iyileştirici gücünün olduğu yapılan araştırmalarda kanıtlanmıştır. Seramik duvar panoları da günümüzde birçok hastanelerin bekleme salonlarında ve çeşitli bölgelerinde estetik ifade dili olarak yerini almaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı sanatın iyileştirici gücünün temel alınarak bu alanda yapılan araştırmaların literatür taraması yapılarak, sanat eserlerinin ve özellikle seramik duvar panoların, ülkemizde ve yurt dışından örneklerini sunmaktır. Bu çalışma kapsamında örnek olarak Aksaray Güzelyurt İlçe Devlet Hastanesine seramik duvar panosu tasarım ve uygulama süreci değerlendirilmiştir.

Application of Direct Stiffness-Strength Method for Design of Gypsum and Plywood sheathed CFS wall panels Subjected to Bending

The cold-formed steel (CFS) wall frames need to be stiff-strong to inhibit the instability failures. The current design specifications do not have a robust design method for sheathed CFS wall panels. A safe wall frame design is possible by providing adequate bracing to resist the instability failures, which the sheathing boards can do. A new design method based on the demand and supply approach called “Direct Stiffness-Strength Method” (DSSM) is developed to fulfill sheathing-bracing design needs. Nevertheless, it is necessary to validate the suitability of the DSSM for the design of CFS wall frames with various sheathing materials. In this study, a total of 58 CFS sheathed panels were tested under out-of-plane loading with varying design parameters such as global (λe), local (λl), and distortional slenderness (λd), two sheathing board types (Gypsum and Plywood), sheathing board thicknesses (tb), and sheathing fastener connection spacing (df). The full-scale test results indicate that the resistance of the sheathing fastener connection is sensitive to the thickness of the fibrous sheathing board plywood. The full-scale test results were compared with the design strength of CFS wall panels using DSSM. The sheathed CFS wall panel design indicates that the current DSSM method is unconservative for gypsum sheathing (both 12.5 mm 15 mm thicknesses) and overly safe for 12 mm thick plywood sheathing. This can be attributed to the omission of sheathing thickness in the DSSM approach to determine the stiffness and strength of the sheathing fastener connection. Further, the reasons for the inaccurate prediction of the current DSSM method are discussed in detail. A set of new resistance factor values are proposed for the accurate design prediction of sheathed CFS wall panels. Finally, the paper presents and discusses the application of the proposed design approach and provides evidence for the benefits of DSSM.

Thermal Insulation Performance and Reliability of the “Structure-Insulation” Integrated Wall Panel (SIW) for Storage Grain Bungalows

The traditional brick bungalow is not conducive to long-term grain storage because of its poor thermal insulation. In this paper, a new type of wall element for grain bungalows with both load-carrying and thermal insulation functions, called a “Structure-Insulation” integrated wall panel (SIW), is proposed for improving the grain storage environment. To study the thermal insulation reliability of SIW under multivariable randomness and the availability of different grain storage zones, a finite element model was established based on the test. Then, the failure criterion was established with the heat transfer coefficient as the key point and 1,000,000 sampling calculations were carried out by the Monte Carlo method. The reliability was discussed and sensitivity of random parameters was quantified. The thermal performance test shows that the heat transfer coefficients of the two designed SIW wall panels compared with the traditional brick bungalow wall are reduced by 45.81% and 56.13%, respectively. The thickness of the insulation panel is sensitive mostly to the thermal insulation performance, with a correlation coefficient of 0.877. When the thickness of the insulation panel is 80, 94, and 107 mm, the wall panel can meet the limit requirements of the heat transfer coefficient of the granary enclosure structure of 0.59, 0.53, and 0.46 W/m2·K, with reliability indexes of 3.08, 1.82, and 1.75, respectively. The research results provide an important reference for the design, optimization, and application of SIW wall panels in thermal insulation.

Integration of life cycle assessments (LCA) in circular bio-based wall panel design

To assess the potential benefits and impacts of circular bio-based buildings, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a valuable method to identify systems or elements that have negative effects on the environment during the whole building life. To achieve low carbon buildings, LCA should be performed during the early design stage of buildings, to influence the choice more environmentally led solutions. In this paper, LCA was used during the early design stage of a circular bio-based wall panel prototype to guide the decision-making process for the improvement of the panel’s design. A cradle-to-cradle life cycle assessment was performed to compare the circular wall panel against other prefabricated wall panels, assembled using common construction materials and techniques. Results indicated that a circular design and some bio-based materials are not always synonymous with low environmental impacts. The first iteration of the circular panel had a GWP100 of 231.1 kgCO2e/m2 in the base case with one life cycle. This compared to 116 kgCO2e/m2 and 181 kgCO2e/m2 for the timber and steel frame panels respectively. The LCA was able to identify materials and components which contribute most significantly to the panels environmental impact. The identification of highly impacting materials in the initial panel design, LCA was used to guide the re-design of the circular bio-based panel. From investigating alternative materials for the insulation, cladding and internal substrate the environmental impact of the new design of the circular panel was lowered to 122 kgCO2e/m2. This research demonstrates how LCA can be used in the design process to reduce carbon emissions in circular buildings by using bio-based materials.

LCA supporting the design of circular biobased wall panels

One of the numerous objectives of the European CBCI project is to develop a circular biobased wall element. As part of the design process, the first prototypes are analysed using life cycle assessment (LCA) and compared to a more traditional wood-skeleton element. The results indicate that the prototypes have a significantly higher impact than the reference solution, mainly because of the specific selection of biobased finishing materials. Also, considering an in-use service life of 60 years, the use of metal connectors to enable dismantling and reuse of the structure is not justifiable from an environmental perspective as their impact is about as high as the structure itself. In conclusion, the case study illustrates how LCA allows to evaluate the environmental relevance of specific circular building solutions and can be used to identify optimization strategies.

Numerical investigation of supercritical heat transfer of water flowing in vertical and horizontal tube with emphasis of gravity effect

Over a decade, coal-based thermal power plants are upgraded to operate at supercritical pressure conditions due to its high efficiency and low emissions. Water wall panels of a typical supercritical boiler are structured spirally in the lower furnace and vertically placed in the upper furnace. The spiral tubes are inclined at 19 to 22 degrees in which fluid behaves as in horizontal tubes. The design of water wall panels plays the key role in designing a supercritical boiler. The present work aims to numerically investigate the heat transfer behavior of both vertical and horizontal tubes at the supercritical conditions. Since the temperature distribution across the cross-section of vertical tube is uniform, a 2D axis symmetry tube has been considered for analyzing the vertical tube. Unlike vertical tube, the heat transfer characteristics is different for horizontal tubes. Therefore, a 3D tube has been modelled for the computation of horizontal tubes. In order to gain confidence, the present simulations are validated with experiments results available in the literature. Ansys-Fluent has been used in the present simulation. SST k-ω turbulence model is used in this analysis. In the present work, 10 mm diameter of 4m length of vertical tube has been chosen and simulated at low heat flux to mass flux ratio 0.27 and high heat flux to mass flux ratio 0.67 with pressure 241 bar. The effect of heat flux (q) to mass flux (G) ratio which is responsible for heat transfer enhancement and heat transfer deterioration has been studied for both vertical and horizontal tubes. The wall temperature has been plotted along the length of the tube for both top and bottom portion of horizontal tube and compared with wall temperature of vertical tube. The effect of buoyancy plays a vital role in the heat transfer behavior of horizontal tube compared to vertical tube. Heat transfer deterioration occurs due to buoyancy which has a direct linkage with gravity. Three cases were studied, one with full gravity (factor 1), half gravity (factor 0.5) and zero gravity (factor 0). It has been observed that, sudden rise in wall temperature occurs for the case gravity factor 1.0, i.e, considering the gravity effect. For the case of zero gravity, no sudden peak of local wall temperature is observed due to the absence of buoyancy term in the Navier-Stokes equations. Some of the thermo-physical properties like velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, density, wall temperature and turbulent viscosity are analyzed for three cases.

Sheathing-fastener connection strength based design method for sheathed CFS point-symmetric wall frame studs

Cold-formed steel (CFS) in construction delivers cost effectiveness and design flexibility. The instability failures of CFS Structural members significantly influences the failures of sheathing boards attached as an external cover. Therefore, present study experimentally examines the structural behavior of sheathing fastener connection in cold-formed steel wall frame. As a first attempt, strength and stiffness of the sheathing fastener connection is determined against the failure modes of point symmetric CFS wall frame studs. A new test setup has been developed to investigate the individual sheathing fastener failure modes. Parameters investigated include sheathing board types (varying thickness) and different dimensions of point-symmetric CFS studs. A total of forty-one individual fastener connection tests were carried out. The experimental investigation revealed that the fastener connection strength varies depending on the geometric dimensions of CFS stud and material composition of sheathing board. The result indicated that the bracing effect provided by plain gypsum board (fiber less) is insignificant and should not be considered for design. For sheathing boards with fiber composition, a generic parameter [ratio to design moment (Mx or My) to CFS stud depth (h)] is introduced to consider the structural bracing effect in CFS wall panel design. The limitations to consider the bracing effect of sheathing in the design of CFS wall frame studs are suggested for minor axis buckling and major axis buckling.

Research on the design of the integrated wall panel of the prefabricated building in substations

In order to meet the needs of the modular construction and prefabricated construction of the State Grid Corporation of China, higher performance requirements are put forward for the wall panels of the building. Integrated wall panels have the advantages of high integration, high assembly, short construction period and good construction quality, which can effectively reduce on-site wet work and have significant economic and social benefits. This article combines the actual engineering and existing construction technology to explore the technical application of the integrated wall panel design for assembly buildings in substations, which provides a reference for the future development of assembly buildings.

IMPROVEMENT POTENTIAL FOR SOUND INSULATION OF SINGLE- AND MULTILAYER WALL PANELS

Relevance: Acoustic comfort in residential, public and industrial buildings. Existing types of wall panels often do not provide the required noise control.Purpose: Investigation of the improvement potential for sound insulation of single- and multi-layer wall panels having finitegeometric dimensions with diffuse sound lowering. Design/methodology/approach: Consideration of the sound propagation through the wall panel based on the theory of selfcoordination of wave fields developed by the Prof. Sedov‟s scientific school.Research findings: Analytical equations for calculating the limiting sound insulation of the wall panels determined by the inertial sound propagation. The improvement potential for sound insulation of single- and multi-layer wall panels having finite dimensions. Comparison of theoretical and xperimental results. It is shown that single- and multi-layer wall panels of finite geometric dimensions have improvement potential for sound insulation, which is determined by the ratio between their own and limiting sound insulation.Practical implications: Wall panel design must take into account the improvement potential for sound insulation. The sound insulation of wall panels is improved without increasing their mass and thickness. This is of great importance for design solutions for wall panels of civil and industrial buildings.Originality/value: The proposed method shows good agreement between experimental data and theoretical calculations. The improvement potential for sound insulation at the frequency level locates near the resonant frequencies, namely: near-boundary frequency of the full spatial resonance for single-layer wall panels; near-resonant frequency of the mass-elasticity-mass panels and near-boundary frequency of the full spatial resonance for multilayer wall panels and panel linings, respectively.

Numerical modelling and design of hybrid cold-formed steel wall panels

Hybrid cold-formed steel (CFS) wall panel, composed of square hollow sections (SHS) and CFS open sections, can offer some great advantages with respect to the lateral performance of light steel frames, in particular for applications in mid-rise construction. This paper presents non-linear finite element modelling of hybrid wall panels, calibrated through experimental tests, and their applications to different designs. The study involves the lateral behaviour of the proposed hybrid walls in terms of load-displacement curve, failure mode, stiffness, ductility ratio, energy absorption, and strength to weight ratio. First, a numerical model, verified and calibrated based on the experimental tests on the hybrid wall panels, is presented. Thereafter, using the validated numerical model, twenty new hybrid wall panel designs are proposed in order to investigate the effect of different SHS brace configurations on the hybrid panels’ performance. The comparison of the experimental and numerical results indicates that superior seismic performance can be achieved from the proposed hybrid CFS wall designs.

Experimental Study on Flexural Property of Precast Cavity Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels

The sandwich wall panel studied in this article is prepared by setting a cavity between the outer cavity wall body and thermal insulation layer, which is connected by FRP rod connectors. Through the out-of-plane flexural test, the crack development rule is recorded, and the load deformation rule is recorded under serviceability limit state and limit state of bearing capacity. The analysis results can provide reference for the design of precast sandwich wall panels with cavities.

Development and performance of a ductile shear tie for precast concrete insulated wall panels

This paper presents the development and experimental evaluation of a new ductile shear tie system for precast concrete insulated wall panels subjected to large flexural demands from blast or impact loading. The ties develop a stable plastic hinge mechanism with a multi-legged design, enabling larger inter-wythe shear deformations without sacrificing structural integrity. The performance of these ties is assessed in conjunction with two types of rigid insulation, extruded (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS), that are commonly used for insulated precast concrete façade panels. Shear test specimens with either bonded or unbonded insulation layers were both fabricated to determine the individual contributions of the shear ties and insulation to the total shear strength. A double shear experimental test procedure is proposed to mechanically emulate the flexure-induced behavior of shear ties in insulated wall panels. A series of shear tests was conducted, first under semi-static loading and then at higher strain rates to quantify shear resistance of panels subjected to blast loading. A qualitative comparison is made between failure mechanisms of XPS and EPS insulation, and the new tie is able to achieve a reliably high level of shear deformation ductility relative to other commercially available ties. The shear resistance backbone curves obtained from this study can be used as input for enhanced design and analysis of precast concrete insulated wall panels to resist blast loading.

Flexural Behaviour and Design of Cold-Formed Steel Wall Panels Sheathed with Particle Cement Board

The bracing effect of Particle Cement Board (PCB) sheathing for the Cold-formed steel (CFS) wall stud is explored in this study. Owing to the higher slenderness, the CFS wall stud requires additional bracing to inhibit the instability failures such as flexural and lateral torsional buckling. Twenty sheathed CFS wall studs were tested to investigate the structural effect of PCB sheathing under out-of-plane loading. The key design factors such as sheathing arrangements (screw spacing and sheathing thickness) and slenderness of the CFS studs were examined. The experimental results indicated that the CFS studs with vulnerability to fail in both local buckling (fcrl <<fy) and LTB (fcre <<fy) can be effectively braced by particle cement board sheathing. The experimental results, together with the failure modes of the sheathed CFS studs were compared with the predicted strengths using the latest sheathing braced design rules. The critical elastic buckling stresses corresponding to different failure modes for the direct strength method (DSM) of CFS structural member design were determined using the latest modified rule. The latest sheathing braced design rules accurately predicted the failure modes of the PCB sheathed CFS stud. However, the design moment capacities predicted by the latest sheathing braced design rules are overly conservative compared to the experimental moment capacities. The reasons pertaining to the over conservative design predictions are discussed. A set of preliminary suggestions to effectively codify the design rules for the CFS wall panels are given.