Influence of expanded polystyrene concrete core on flexural and compressive behavior of textile reinforced concrete sandwich panels

Abstract

Textile-Reinforced Concrete (TRC) is an innovative composite material that combines high-performance concrete with textile reinforcements, offering enhanced durability, corrosion resistance, and design flexibility. The use of TRC in sandwich panels allows for thinner, lighter skins with improved durability and enhanced mechanical performance. The effect of core thickness on the flexural and compressive behavior of TRC sandwich panels is examined in this first-of-its-kind study that incorporates Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) beads into the concrete core. Two TRC sandwich panel designs were created using concrete cores of 25 mm and 50 mm for EPS beads, and their overall thicknesses were 50 mm and 75 mm, respectively. Wet lay-up leading to a monolithic casting was used for production of TRC sandwich panels. The results obtained from the investigations demonstrate that increasing the concrete core thickness leads to notable improvements in flexural stiffness and strength, as well as compressive load capacity. In all cases, the panels displayed monolithic action during flexural and compressive testing, with no signs of debonding between the skins and core. These findings underscore the importance of core thickness as a key design parameter and contribute to the optimization of TRC sandwich panel performance in structural applications.