Axial and Bending Behavior of Composite Walls

Abstract

This paper describes an experimental program on walls formed from two skins of profiled steel sheeting and an in-fill of concrete. Twenty full-scale tests are reported, which include samples where both axial forces and bending moments are applied. It is shown that the axial load capacity is less than the squash load capacity calculated using current codes of practice. This is due to the early buckling of the thin steel sheeting and the difficulty in transferring the applied load between the components. A practical device is developed that provides improved load transfer. Modifications to the code methods are proposed to enable a closer prediction of the test behavior. The early steel buckling and poor load transfer also effect the out-of-plane bending capacity of the system; however, the excellent bending stiffness of the walls makes it possible to provide a very slender wall thickness.