Flexural and shear behaviour of profiled double skin composite elements

Double skin composite element (DSCE) is a novel form of construction comprising two skins of profiled steel sheeting with an infill of concrete. DSCEs are thought to be applicable as shear or core walls in a building where they can resist in-plane loads. In this paper, the behaviour of DSCE subjected to combined bending and shear deformation is described. Small-scale model tests on DSCEs manufactured from micro-concrete and very thin sheeting were conducted to investigate the flexural and shear behaviour along with analytical analysis. The model tests provided information on the strength, stiffness, strain conditions and failure modes of DSCEs. Detailed development of analytical models for strength and stiffness and their performance validation by model tests are presented.