Title: Numerical Evaluation of a New Concrete Sandwich Panel Containing UHPC Wythes, and GFRP Reinforcement and Connectors

Author(s): Akram Jawdhari and Amir Fam

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 356

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 273-290

Keywords: concrete, composite degree, FRP, finite element, numerical analysis, sandwich panels, shear connectors, ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), thin panels

DOI: 10.14359/51737276

Date: 10/1/2022

Abstract:
Recently, a new generation of concrete sandwich panels (CSPs) comprising ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) wythes and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) as reinforcement and shear connectors was developed and evaluated experimentally. In this study, a non-linear finite element model is presented to study the detailed behavior of these panels under bending. The model included detailed features such as a constitutive material law that considers the post-crack stiffening of UHPC, failure of GFRP material, wythe-to-insulation contact and slipping, and stability failure. Compared with eight previously tested panels, the model predictions of ultimate load, general load-deflection behavior, and failure modes matched those from experiments. The composite degree of each panel, a key design parameter frequently used in characterizing the structural and thermal efficiencies of CSPs, was determined from the ultimate load of the tested panel and that of two additional numerically-based non and fully composite ones and ranged between 3 to 34%. The structural performance of the GFRP connector was deemed satisfactory for the range of composite degrees proposed for the panels. The validated model will be deployed in a large parametric analysis studying different material and geometric variables and assisting in developing a design tool to estimate the strength and composite degree of UHPC CSPs with GFRP reinforcement.