SANDWICH WALL PANELS WITH UHPC FACINGS

As a first step of this research project, sandwich panel strips with a core of extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) and facings of micro-reinforced Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) were examined. The necessary bond between the concrete and XPS was achieved by the textured surface of the core. In order to investigate the load-deflection behaviour, 4-point and 3-point bending tests were carried out. The results show a highly ductile load-deflection behaviour of the elements. After a first cyclic loading test, the bond was visibly not damaged and a load-bearing capacity as the other specimens was reached. By altering the ratio of moment to shear force, different failure modes were achieved. Additional numerical calculations were carried out to investigate the load-bearing behaviour and the stress and strain distribution. The numerical results show a good congruence with the experimental results. Further research work will be undertaken to investigate the durability of the bond and the effect of temperature-induced strains.