ANALYSIS OF SHEAR BEHAVIOR FOR VARIOUS DESIGNED CONFIGURATIONS OF WYTHE TIES IN PRECAST CONCRETE SANDWICH PANELS

Abstract

Structural behavior of Precast Concrete Sandwich Panels (PCSP) depends on the shear force transferred between two wythes through elements known as “Wythe Ties”. In this study, experimental work of forty-three push-off specimens were tested to evaluate the stiffness for various designed configurations of Wythe Ties using horizontal and angled connectors for potential use in PCSPs design. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP), Basalt fiber-reinforced polymers (BFRP), and steel connectors were tested and compared. The key parameters in this study are embedded length, various inclination angles, various tie shape configurations, different Wythe Ties material, cross section area served, orientation of diagonal connector relative to loading, bond or no bond of foam to concrete wythe, CFRP laminate thickness and width. A Finite element analysis model verification with a parametric study have been established.