Sandwich panels of ultra-high performance concrete composite with expanded polystyrene

Abstract

The performance of sandwich panels is upgraded by increasing thermal resistance using UHPC (ultra-high performance concrete) with EPS (expanded polystyrene) beads composite. The core of the sand- wich panels is made of lightweight UHPC composite with EPS and the face sheet by thin UHPC plates. The core provides the thermal resistance and the outer face sheets provide the flexural strength of the sandwich panels. Fresh UHPC is prepared to mix with EPS beads to produce new composite material with improved thermal resistance. The weak bond at interfaces between UHPC and EPS beads can be improved by pre- wetting the beads for one day. The ratio of UHPC to EPS beads should be proportioned to balance between strength and thermal resistance. Various thermal and mechanical properties of UHPC composite core materi- al and the flexural strength of sandwich panels for architectural components are investigated in this paper. The performance of sandwich panels of UHPC composite core with UHPC face sheets shows one of poten- tial applications of UHPC.