Lateral Cyclic Load Behaviour of Gfrg Building Systems - Experimental Studies

Abstract eng:
GFRG (Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum) panels are prefabricated load-bearing panels used primarily as wall and slab elements in buildings. With the key advantages of rapidity and economy in construction, GFRG technology is finding a key role in affordable mass housing construction in India. Multi-storied buildings can be constructed using GFRG panels without the necessity for any beams and columns. GFRG panels are hollow composite panels that can conveniently be filled with any structural material like concrete, and RC (reinforced concrete) if required, in order to improve its load carrying capacity. With low grade concrete fill, GFRG panels exhibit very high axial resistance, but the relatively reduced shear strength of the panels limits the number of stories of GFRG buildings to 8 - 10 in moderate seismic zones, and to lesser number in higher seismic zones in India. Studies conducted for the evaluation of seismic behavior of GFRG wall panels showed that the panels behaved satisfactorily under lateral loads. The studies conducted had been limited to only wall components. When GFRG is used for constructing medium-rise buildings, it is important to know the performance of the connections between the wall and the slab. Tests on building systems comprising walls and slabs made of GFRG have never been conducted. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the lateral load behavior of a typical GFRG building system. A GFRG system unit of height 3m, comprising of GFRG wall panels and GFRG-RC composite slab, of plan dimension 2 x 2m, was subjected to cyclic lateral loads. GFRG-RC composite slab behaving as oneway slab, spans between the walls in the in-plane direction. Cyclic lateral displacements were applied at the slab (diaphragm) level, as per ISO 16670 protocol. The amplitudes of the displacements were fixed based on the ultimate displacement obtained from a monotonic test done a similar wall component. From the analysis of experimental results, the performance parameters of the system such as connection between wall and slab, system ductility, strength and mode of failure is discussed in this paper. The proposed wall-slab connection behaved satisfactorily and was adequate in transferring shear force from slab to wall panel till the system reached the ultimate stage of failure. The failure of the system was by formation of longitudinal cracks at the web-flange interfaces, a unique mode of failure. This unique failure mode exhibited by GFRG resulted in higher ductility of the unit compared to other conventional systems.

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