Experimental and Analysis of Precast Concrete Sandwich Panels Façade (PCSPF) Systems at Elevated Temperatures

Like most structural members, the physical characteristics and resistance of the precast concrete sandwich panels deteriorate at elevated temperatures. These changes promote a considerable loss in the stiffness of the structural system and compromises the integrity of the stainless-steel ties which is a major concern. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the precast concrete sandwich panels under the fire condition. To understand this concern and to propose an engineering solution, finite element modelling was conducted to simulate the behaviour of precast concrete sandwich panel system under fire conditions using SAFIR which is an advanced computational tool. The mechanical and thermal material nonlinearities of the structural members, such as the concrete walls and reinforcing bars were included in the model. The model used is based on the frame analogy considering a strip of wall to investigate the fire performance focusing on the integrity of the stainless-steel ties of the external wall cladding. The reinforcement stainless-steel tie connectors are considered based on the publication [1] to check the minimum satisfaction of the PCSPF system existing in construction. The model used demonstrated encouraging results for different cases considered during the study and the results from the computational modelling were well aligned with the experimental results.