Numerical modeling of Reinforced Concrete Sandwich Panels with EPS core under compression

The application of sandwich panels has grown significantly in Brazilian civil construction in recent years, with greater use in residential buildings. However, due to the absence of regulatory standards and reliable calculation standards, these construction elements are often used without a real understanding of their structural behavior. Therefore, in order to evaluate the structural behavior of these panels when subjected to compression loads, a 3D nonlinear Finite Element model was developed using ABAQUS software. This study presents a numerical investigation, detailing the geometry of the Sandwich Panel model, the types of meshes and finite elements used in the modeling, as well as the approach employed to model material contact interactions and simulate boundary conditions and loading applications. Additionally, in this study, the Concrete Damaged Plasticity Model (CDPM) implemented in the ABAQUS library was used for concrete modeling, presenting the plastic input parameters and formulations of the constitutive laws adopted to describe the uniaxial behavior of concrete under tension and compression, as well as the methodology for calculating the evolution of damage variables. For the modeling of steel and expanded polystyrene (EPS), the constitutive models PLASTIC and ELASTIC available in the ABAQUS library were used. The developed model proved capable of satisfactorily simulating the structural behavior of sandwich panels subjected to eccentric compression loads, being reliable for estimating their strength capacity.