Partially Composite Sandwich Panel Deflections

Abstract

A continuum model for evaluating partially composite insulated concrete sandwich panel deflections with discrete shear connectors due to differential volume changes such as those caused by differences in temperature between the wythes is evaluated for accuracy by comparison with finite-element analysis. Design equations for computing these deflections are provided. Analysis of sample panels indicates that the continuum model provides acceptable accuracy for calculating thermal bowing of wall panels. The resulting equations show that, for long panels, the amount of thermal bowing in the panels is relatively insensitive to the stiffness of the connectors. This implies that long insulated sandwich panels with low connecting-layer stiffness will experience nearly the same amount of thermal bowing as fully composite panels.