Structural behavior of ferro cellular insulated wall panel

Applications of structural insulated panels (SIPs) have been increasing in the construction industry due to their lightweight behavior and higher thermal insulation capacity compared to conventional brick masonry. However, the weak structural behavior of SIPs has restricted their applications in building construction. In this research paper, the development and analysis of a new lightweight SIP wall panel referred as ferro cellular lightweight concrete insulated panel (FCIP) have been discussed, i.e., structurally stronger than the brick masonry wall and the present forms of SIPs. The FCIP has been tested experimentally under axial compression and flexure loadings. The two different sizes were used for making the experimental test models, viz. A1 of 0.6 m × 0.3 m × 0.09 m and A2 of 1.2 m × 0.6 m × 0.09 m. The test results have been compared with the same-sized brick masonry walls. It was found that the load-taking capacity of A1 size FCIP is 22% larger than the same size brick masonry wall. However, the A2 size FCIP failed at 30% lower stresses than the same size brick masonry wall due to the slenderness effect. On the other hand, in flexure loading, both A1 and A2 size brick masonry walls were found to be weaker than the same size FCIP. Moreover, a theoretical analysis has been carried out to determine the size and slenderness effect on FCIP using Abaqus CAE. The results show that the increase in the thickness of the inner layer (Fcb) of FCIP from 10 to 12 mm and 15 mm helps to improve the load-bearing capacity of A1 size FCIP up to 24% and 63%, respectively. Similarly, the increase in the thickness of the sandwich layer (XPS) from 50 to 100 mm helps to enhance the load-bearing capacity of A1 size FCIP up to 44% without a considerable increase in weight. Subsequently, with theoretical results, a large-size A3 (3.0 m × 1.2 m × 0.145 m) FCIP has been modeled and tested. The results show that the A3 size FCIP having a thickness of 145 mm can replace half brick thick masonry with many structural and thermal applications.