State-of-the-Art of Precast Concrete Sandwich Panels

Maher K. Tadros Cheryl W. Prewett Professor of Civil Engineering and Director Center for Infrastructure Research University of Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska Precast Concrete Sandwich Panels (PCSP), used as exterior walls in multi-unit residential, commercial, and warehouse buildings, are structurally and thermally efficient building elements, and they are in use worldwide; yet, there is very limited available information on the various design, production and construction philosophies. This paper presents the PCSP systems most widely used in North America and Europe as exterior walls for low rise commercial and warehouse buildings. The constituents of these panels are described, and some of the limited available research results are discussed. The theory of analysis for volume change effects is explained and numerical examples are given. A discussion of issues in need of further research is provided. Some widely used PCSP systems in North America and Europe are described in Appendix A, and the names of producers are included for further reference.