Structural behavior of precast concrete wall panels due to dynamic load: A review
The rapid population growth and urbanization have made a massive demand for the shelter and construction materials. Masonry walls are the major component in the housing sector and it has brittle characteristics and exhibit poor performance against the uncertain loads. Further, the structure requires heavier sections for carrying the dead weight of masonry walls. The present investigations are carried out to develop a simple, lightweight and cost effective technology for replacing the existing wall systems. The lightweight concrete is developed for the construction of cement wall panel. The EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) beads of 3 mm diameter size are mixed with concrete and developed a lightweight concrete with a density 9 kN/m3. The lightweight sandwich panel is cast with a lightweight concrete inner core and ferrocement outer skins. This lightweight wall panel is tested for in-plane compression loading. A nonlinear finite element analysis with damaged plasticity model is carried out with both material and geometrical nonlinearities. The experimental and analytical results were compared. The finite element study predicted the ultimate load carrying capacity of the sandwich panel with reasonable accuracy. The present study showed that the lightweight concrete is well suitable for the lightweight sandwich wall panels.
Architectural precast concrete wall panels that act as loadbearing elements in a building are both a structurally efficient and economical means o f transferring floor and roof loads through the structure and into the foundation. In many cases, this integration can also simplify construction and reduce costs. This article presents the many benefit s that ca n be derived from using loadbearing architectural precast concrete walls in buildings. Discussed herein are the various shapes and sizes of wall pane ls, major design considerations, and when loadbearing or shear wall units should be the first design choice. The role o f connections, shear walls, and the use of precast concrete as forms for cast-in-place concrete is explained. In general, the design methods and techniques presented in this article apply to buildings in both seismic and non-seismic areas. The latter part of this article shows how these design principles can be applied in practice in a variety of buildings. These examples illustrate the use of window wall panels, spandrels, and solid or sandwich wall panels as the loadbearing wall members. When all the advantages of using architectural precast concrete as loadbearing walls are added up, it makes good sense to use this structural form in building applications.
An experimental study has been carried out to determine the strength and behaviour of bamboo-reinforced concrete wood texture cement wall panel under one-way in-plane action. Three full-scale bamboo-reinforced concrete wall panels were tested to fail under a uniformly distributed load applied at an eccentricity of t/6. Slenderness ratio of all wall panels was kept constant as 25 with varying aspect ratio and thinness ratio. The influence of aspect ratio and thinness ratio on the ultimate strength and behaviour of wall panel was studied. The aspect ratio of wall panels considered includes 1, 1.204 and 1.515, and thinness ratio of wall panels includes 16.5, 20.75 and 25. Based on the study, an empirical equation for predicting the ultimate load of bamboo-reinforced concrete wall panel was proposed.
The effect of the earthquake resulted in the destruction of infrastructure, especially residential buildings. The construction of decent housing with an adequate level of security is a demand. Generally, the most severe damage when an earthquake occurs is wall collapse of the houses. The precast panel wall is an alternative solution in answering the needs of post-earthquake housing development, because of the fast construction time and high calculation accuracy. The behavior of structural precast concrete split rock surface wall panels designed improperly instead of following the standard or regulations will likely encounter a poor performance during an earthquake compared to those designed in accordance with the standards. The purpose of the present study is to compile the findings from previous studies of precast concrete panel walls, especially their performances in handling earthquake load. It reveals that the stability, especially in ductility, affects the performance of precast concrete panel walls. In this study, the walls of precast concrete panels are made in half scale and given dynamic loads to simulate earthquake forces. This review is expected to provide guideline of similar subsequent research.
It’s no wonder demand for precast is rising, especially considering the numerous benefits structural precast panels offer — from quick installation to fire resistance.
