Load Deflection and Ultimate Strength Properties of Sandwich Lightweight Foamed Concrete Panels

The interaction that exists between two wythes of concrete, inner and outer, goes a long way to establish the structural behavior of the whole components and particularly, lightweight foamed concrete sandwich panel. Precast concrete sandwich panel (PCSP) has become a household name since it has been utilized in the construction of structural shell in some building types. This research investigated the load deflection of six different lightweight foamed concrete panels. The six panels were produced using a foamed concrete mix of the same density and the mechanical properties of the mix were tested. Each panel consists of two withes (facings) made of lightweight foamed concrete and polystyrene was used as the core and the insulation layer. Mild steel wire mesh of 6mm sizes was used as reinforcement in three of the panels while 9mm diameter high yield steel was used in the remaining three panels. The reinforcement in both facing was tied together using shear and bend to an angle of 450.End crushing of the panels was avoided using concrete capping. An axial load test was conducted, the load deflection, mode of failure and crack patterns of the panels was observed. The result also revealed that panels with concrete capping deflect along with their Wythe in the same directions and small deflection was recorded in panels with concrete capping. Cracking modes in panels reinforced with 6mm mild steel were controlled by material failure while those in panels with 9mm high yield steel, cracks was only observed at the lower part of the capping.