Comparative Study on Performance of Precast Structural Insulated Panels with Different Shear Connectors

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) made by sandwiching an insulating material from both sides have been used in buildings to enhance thermal resistance without loss in structural integrity. New innovations to improve its compositeness are also being explored. One method is to use shear connector made of high thermal resistant and ductile materials. This connects two outer wythes through insulation layer. The outer material can be of any type of high compressive strength concrete. These are usually reinforced with steel or carbon or glass fiber. The use of light weight and high strength materials helps to reduce the overall thickness of the structure. As the material of shear connector acts as a thermal bridge across the outer wythes, materials with low U value (thermal transmittance) are preferred. In this paper, an attempt has been made to carry out a comparative study on the performance of SIPs with shear connectors manufactured using different materials.