초록 ▼

Composite wall panels are a viable method of quick and inexpensive building. Providing a composite wall panel with increased shear resistance and axial load capacity is extremely desirable. A fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) cage incorporated into composite wall panels which forms a wall panel with th

Composite wall panels are a viable method of quick and inexpensive building. Providing a composite wall panel with increased shear resistance and axial load capacity is extremely desirable. A fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) cage incorporated into composite wall panels which forms a wall panel with these desirable characteristics and a method of forming such a composite wall panel is disclosed and described. The FRP cages can include FRP shells or sleeves which include two or more bars secured thereto. One or more FRP cages can be incorporated into a composite wall panel where a portion of the FRP shell is imbedded in each of two concrete layers with an insulation layer therebetween. The resulting FRP reinforced composite wall panel has improved shear resistance and axial compressive strength which can allow for use in load bearing applications and generally improved properties such as thermal insulation.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A composite wall panel comprising: a) a first concrete layer; b) an insulation layer adjacent to the first concrete layer, said insulation layer comprising segmented insulation blocks; c) a second concrete layer disposed adjacent the insulation layer and opposite the first co

What is claimed is: 1. A composite wall panel comprising: a) a first concrete layer; b) an insulation layer adjacent to the first concrete layer, said insulation layer comprising segmented insulation blocks; c) a second concrete layer disposed adjacent the insulation layer and opposite the first concrete layer; and d) at least one fiber reinforced polymer cage having a pair of bars secured to at least one fiber reinforced polymer shell, wherein a portion of at least one fiber reinforced polymer shell is embedded in each of the first and second concrete layers such that the fiber reinforced polymer cage secures the first concrete layer with respect to the second concrete layer, wherein the at least one fiber reinforced polymer cage defining an interior space and the at least one fiber reinforced polymer shell is a partially enclosed structure having a continuous surface about the interior space and is formed of a sheet which surrounds at least a portion of each of the first concrete layer, the insulation layer, and the second concrete layer, wherein a segmented insulation block of the insulation layer is located within the interior space. 2. The composite wall panel of claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced polymer shell is secured to four parallel bars, such that two of the four bars are embedded in the first concrete layer and two of the four bars are embedded in the second concrete layer. 3. The composite wall panel of claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced polymer cage further contains an insulating material disposed in a central area of the cage. 4. The composite wall panel of claim 1, wherein prestressed tendons are incorporated into at least one of the first and second concrete layers of the wall panel and are substantially parallel to the at least one fiber reinforced polymer cage. 5. The composite wall panel of claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced polymer shell comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass fiber reinforced polymer shells, carbon fiber reinforced polymer shells, aramid fiber reinforced shells, and combinations or composites thereof. 6. A method for manufacturing composite wall panels, comprising the steps of: a) arranging at least one fiber reinforced polymer cage in a concrete casting structure such that a bottom space of the fiber reinforced polymer cage is spaced longitudinally near a bottom of the concrete casting structure and defines an interior space, said fiber reinforced polymer cage having a pair of bars secured to at least one fiber reinforced polymer shell which is a partially enclosed structure formed of a sheet having a continuous surface; b) pouring a first layer of concrete into the casting structure sufficient to fill the casting structure to a level such that the bottom space contains a layer of concrete; c) disposing an insulation layer onto at least a portion of the first layer of concrete, wherein a segmented block of the insulation layer is located within the interior space; d) pouring a second layer of concrete into the casting structure sufficient to cover the insulation layer, a top space inside the cage, and the cage such that interior space surrounds at least a portion of each of the first concrete layer, the insulation layer, and the second concrete layer; and e) curing the concrete. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of manufacturing the fiber reinforced cage by: a) forming at least one fiber reinforced polymer shell by wrapping a fiber reinforced polymer sheet around a form, curing said sheet to form the fiber reinforced polymer shell, and removing the form from the fiber reinforced shell; and b) securing two bars to at least one fiber reinforced polymer shell to form a cage. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fiber reinforced polymer shell is secured to four bars. 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of disposing an insulating material into said cage prior to pouring the second layer of concrete. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the insulating material is disposed between the pair of bars and defines the top space between the shell and the insulating material and the bottom space between the shell and the insulating material. 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the fiber reinforced polymer sheet comprises a member selected from the group consisting of glass fiber reinforced polymer sheets, carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheets, aramid fiber reinforced sheets, and combinations or composites thereof. 12. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of pouring the first layer of concrete into the casting structure is completed by pouring a first portion of concrete, followed by the step of arranging the at least one fiber reinforced polymer cage on the first portion of concrete, and then pouring a second portion of concrete to complete the step of pouring a first layer of concrete into the casting structure. 13. The method of claim 6, wherein the steps a) through e) are performed sequentially in the order listed. 14. The method of claim 7, wherein the fiber reinforced polymer shell has at least one hole. 15. The method of claim 7, wherein the fiber reinforced polymer shell is a sleeve encompassing the bars. 16. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one fiber reinforced polymer cage includes a plurality of shells attached to at least two common bars. 17. The method of claim 6, wherein a plurality of cages are spaced in parallel in the concrete casting structure. 18. The method of claim 6, further comprising orienting the composite wall panel to receive a load directed parallel with the bars.