Title: A new studded precast concrete sandwich wall with embedded glass-fiber-reinforced polymer channel sections: Part 2, finite element analysis and parametric studies
Date Published: July - August 2020
Volume: 65
Issue: 4
Page Numbers: 51 - 70
Authors: Akram Jawdhari and Amir Fam
https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij65.4-02

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Abstract

The effectiveness of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pultruded channel sections as shear connectors in precast concrete sandwich walls has been demonstrated experimentally in the companion paper, “A New Studded Precast Concrete Sandwich Wall with Embedded Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Channel Sections: Part 1, Experimental Study.” In this paper, three-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis models of the previously tested panels are developed, verified, and used in a comprehensive parametric study. The models consider accurate constitutive laws for all materials, interfacial relations for different parts in contact, and different failure modes, including material and stability failure of GFRP channels.

The parametric study showed that increasing the ratio of the unsupported channel depth d_w to GFRP channel web thickness t_w led to a decrease in flexural strength and a shift in failure mode from material to stability failure of the GFRP connector, which occurs at d_w /t_w of 30 in the partially composite panel. When the channel flange thickness and the wythe steel reinforcement ratio were independently doubled, flexural strength increased by 25% and 13%, respectively. Concrete compressive strength had an insignificant effect on partially composite panel strength. To increase thermal efficiency without reducing structural effectiveness, the use of circular perforations in the GFRP channel web was explored. It was found that openings with a diameter D up to 0.6d_w and a clear spacing S not less than 0.84D can be effectively introduced without reducing the structural strength of the panel. Circular openings were shown to be more effective than diamond-shaped, hexagonal, or square openings.