Thermoplastic Composite Structural Insulated Panels (CSIPs) for Modular Construction

摘要

Modular panelized construction technique is gaining recognition due to its saving potential in terms of time of construction, labor cost and energy efficiency. In modularized construction, predesigned and prefabricated panels are used for constructing a building structure. The significance of this research lies in the development of prefabricated panels with potential application in the modular panelized construction industry. The modular panels are in the form of sandwich composites in which the expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is sandwiched between fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite facesheets; and these panels are referred as composite structural insulated panels (CSIPs). The EPS core provides excellent insulation against heat, sound and vibration and withstands shear loads. The FRP facesheets primarily resist normal loads. Manufacturing and structural characterization of the proposed CSIPs is presented in this paper. Two sets of tests namely floor test and wall test were performed on CSIPs, according to test setup mentioned in ASTM-E-72-05. The CSIP floor panels were designed to withstand total design load of 0.0024 N/mm~2 (50 psf) as prescribed in ASCE-7-05 and the deflection at this load was within the deflection limit of span/240 as prescribed in ACI-318-05. The proposed CSIPs wall panels were tested for a compressive load of 13135 N/m (900 plf) and the deflection at this load was 3 mm which was within deflection limits of span/360 as prescribed in ACI-318-05 buildins desisn code.