Mechanical behavior of a new thermal break system for exterior wall-slab joints under monotonic loading
Résumé
This paper presents the experimental and numerical results of an ongoing research project on the use of thermal break systems (TBSs) in internally insulated reinforced concrete (RC) structures. A new TBS, which combines steel profiles and U-shaped steel bars, is introduced and tested under monotonic loading to determine its horizontal and vertical shear capacities. The test results confirmed the appropriateness of SLABE-TBS for use in exterior wall–slab joints that demand high ductility or energy absorption despite the failure mode by concrete punching. The tested joints exhibited load-carrying capacities of 190.2 and 120.5 kN/m under horizontal and vertical loading, respectively. On the other hand, the finite element analysis performed using LS-DYNA software confirmed the significance of the U-shaped steel bars of the SLABE-TBS in improving the joint’s shear capacity. However, incorporating the steel bars in the SLABE unit can reduce the equivalent stresses in the adjacent steel profiles by 33 %.