Experimental and numerical studies on the behaviors of autoclaved aerated concrete panels with insulation boards subjected to wind loading

Abstract

Autoclaved aerated concrete panels (AACP) are lightweight elements in civil engineering design. In this paper, experiments and numerical analyses were conducted to study the flexural behavior of an enclosure system that consisted of AACPs and a decorative plate. A full-scale test was conducted to investigate the behavior of the enclosure system under wind suction. Load–deflection curves and load–strain relationships under different wind pressures were recorded and discussed. The effects of thickness, reinforcement ratio, and strength grade on the flexural behavior of AACPs were numerically investigated. Based on the numerical results, we found that the flexural behavior of AACPs can be improved by increasing the thickness or the reinforcement ratio. A comparison of finite element and theoretical results calculated using American and Chinese design formulae was conducted, and the results indicated the existing design formulae can conservatively estimate the major mechanical indices of AACPs.