Performance modelling of precast composite wall systems

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Precast concrete elements can be fabricated to satisfy many construction constraints including geometry and building openings. An innovative composite precast system was developed by Burnco MFG. Inc. known as Thin Shell Precast (TSP). The system consists of open-web, light-gauge steel studs that are embedded into a thin, lightly reinforced concrete wall panel. This product provides strength, rapid construction, cost-effectiveness, design flexibility, thermal efficiency, long-term durability, accommodation of utilities, and acoustic attenuation. The Burnco TSP is used for floor slabs, roofs, foundation walls, load-bearing exterior and interior walls, and exterior cladding. Applications include low-rise housing, mid- and high-rise buildings, commercial, industrial and retail buildings, and low-cost housing in underdeveloped or natural disaster recovery regions. While this composite precast system provides a number of structural and architectural functions, the capacity of the TSP as a lateral force (wind and earthquake) resisting element is unknown. Currently, the lateral force contribution of the TSP is not accounted for in structures where the system is being implemented, and an alternate system is required to sustain any lateral loading. Therefore, the full structural benefits of this product are not being realized. The objective of this proposal is to establish the seismic performance of the Burnco precast composite wall panels as a shear wall system. This will be achieved through numerical modelling using advanced nonlinear finite element models and a preliminary experimental program. With increasing construction costs in Canada, innovative systems, such as the TSP, that can provide multiple functions (structural and architectural) are positioned to change the construction industry. Such systems will provide competitive costs, ease of implementation and flexibility in design applications.