Prediction of flexural rigidity and deflections of ferrocement sandwich panels

Abstract EN

With the establishment 0؛ me€han؛€al properties 0؛ and technical information on ferrocement (FC), the emphasis should now be shifted to the study of building components which can be used in constructions.

FC sandwich panels, which can be used for roofs, floors and walls and have better performance than ferrocement skin elements, were studied in this research.

This paper presents the development technique for full size FC sandwich panels, their flexural testing and a parametric study on rigidity.

Also, an analytical proce-dure to predict rigidities in the working range of loading is described.

Experimental results showed that the number of wire mesh layers in plates of a panel plays a more important role in improving flexural rigidity in the working range when compared to the effects of number of ribs, webmesh reinforcement and skeletal steel reinforcement.

The analytical procedure proposed predicts the deflection in working range within reasonable limits.