Analytical Investigation on the Behaviour of Folded Sandwich Plate
摘要
Folded plates are designed for improved structural behaviour and lighter weight structural element in order to be applicable for a broad spectrum of fields in engineering. This research investigates the structural behaviour of V-shaped folded sandwich panels comprised of outer layers made of reinforced concrete and a core of expanded polystyrene (EPS). An analytical investigation has been carried out to study the effect of height, width of folded plate and thickness of the EPS layer. Initial height and width of folded plate is taken as 220 and 660 mm respectively which is used to access the effect of reinforcement in folded plate. With constant height, the effect of width is studied with the width variations 750, 900, 1050 and 1300 mm. Subsequently, the effect of height is studied with the same variations as width. EPS thickness has increased as 10, 15 and 20 mm. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been carried out using the geometrical model created with M30 grade concrete. Two point load has been applied gradually and obtained load- displacement response. Optimal width is around 1050 mm for a height of 220 mm, where maximum load and stiffness are balanced. Wider panels show reduced stiffness at higher loads. Increasing height substantially improves load capacity and stiffness, making it the most impactful variable for structural performance. Increasing EPS thickness enhances performance, but the improvement is less significant compared to geometric variations.