Flexural behavior of steel web core sandwich panels

Abstract

Light weight stiffened core sandwich panels are one of the most promising structural systems widely used all over the world. They are primarily used as wall partitions, cladding panels and light roofs or light deck systems. Now, due to the necessity of reducing building mass, either to reduce seismic impact or to reduce cost and time of construction, light weight stiffened core sandwich panels will have a promising future to be used as flooring deck systems, because of their high stiffness compared to their own weight. Development of such slabs/panels is needed to use them efficiently and confidently as flooring decks in buildings, especially high-rise buildings. The principal objective of this research is to assess the flexural behavior response of the steel web core sandwich panels to utilize them as flooring deck panels in ordinary buildings. An experimental study has been conducted to achieve this goal. Full-scale flexural load tests have been carried out on six panels. They were tested with different parameters of section components. In the light of the results obtained, capacity and efficiency of the panels were examined. A mechanical model was developed and examined to predict the flexural response with guidelines for design professionals about the safe use of this system.