Wall panel test video

Under the supervision of Dr. Sami Rizkalla and Gregory Lucier at the Constructed Facilities Laboratory at North Carolina State University, the AltusGroup Technical Committee tested recently completed a 50-year test of a 42-foot-long CarbonCast HPIWP. The panels consisted of two 6-foot wide wythes of prestressed concrete, each 2 inches thick, bonded to an inner 4” thick layer of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. Carbon fiber grid was used to connect the two wythes of concrete at selected locations to achieve composite action. The panel was tested oriented horizontally in a rig that allowed for the application matching lateral loads at the quarterspans. The panel was oriented on its edge to prevent selfweight from influencing the lateral loading behavior.

Reverse-cyclic lateral loads were applied to simulate the effects of wind pressure and suction. The panel was subjected to nearly 4,000 cycles of reverse-cyclic fatigue at 45% of the factored lateral load. Following the fatigue regime, lateral loads on the panels were increased to failure.

In general, the tested panel behaved elastically to load levels close to the factored design load of 1.6W. A high degree of composite action was observed at all load levels, and beyond the elastic stage, the panel exhibited a very ductile load-deflection response. The carbon fiber grid shear transfer mechanism proved effective in maintaining the structural integrity of the panel even at high levels of overstress.