Numerical Analysis and Optimal Stud Arrangement of Steel-Concrete Sandwich Panel

Abstract

Steel-Concrete sandwich Panel(SCP) is a modularized composite construction member which is composed of concrete block and outer steel skin plates to take advantage of each material properties from steel and concrete. It does not require installation of temporary formworks or curing period of concrete at the construction site since the steel plates work as permanent formworks and SCP can be modularized at the factory. Therefore, it significantly reduces construction time and costs for structures installed in a harsh environment. In SCP, concrete block and two steel plates are connected by shear studs and bond stiffness is determined by arrangement of the studs. If the shear connection is not sufficient, bond-slip occurs, which leads to a reduction in stiffness and strength of the entire structure. Therefore, this study introduced the finite element model to predict composite behavior of SCP considering partial interaction and compared numerical results with experimental studies. In addition, optimal arrangement of studs which is an important factor to determine cost and structural performance has been studied. If the spacing of the studs is too narrow, it is difficult to pour the concrete and the weight increases. In the opposite case, the buckling may occur in the steel plate, so the guideline for the maximum stud spacing has been studied through the buckling analysis.