Work

Curved truss connector for freeform single-curved concrete sandwich shell: Analytical model

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Concrete sandwich shell (CSS) is a new type of freeform single-curved sandwich structure, which can provide multi-functionality of loading-carrying, insulation, and vibration reduction . It consists of exterior layers enclosing a functional layer connected together using shear connectors . Truss shear connectors have received extensive attention due to their excellent properties, but can only be used in flat sandwich panels. This paper proposes a closed form solution to predict the stiffness of CSS with curved truss connectors. To this end, an analytical model is constructed to calculate the equivalent shear modulus ( G eq ) using the energy method, based on which the shear stiffness of the curved truss connectors is obtained. Next, the accuracy of the analytical model is validated using prior experimental test and Finite Element models , showing the feasibility of using curved truss connectors for CSSs. Finally, parametric study is conducted using the analytical model to investigate the effect of vertex angle on G eq , based on which the optimal vertex angle for different configurations of the CSSs are obtained. The analytical model and optimization method proposed in this study can assist in designing optimal truss connectors for CSSs with different dimensions, resulting in more cost-effective structures.

Source: Engineering Structures

DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2025.119930

Authors: Jiaxu Shi, An Chen, Jing Sun, Mostafa Yossef

Institutions: Beijing Jiaotong University, Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, Aalto University

Language: English

Topic: Structural Load-Bearing Analysis

Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,620

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Academy of Finland, Beijing Jiaotong University