Mechanical fasteners for cladding sandwich panels: Interpretative models for shear behaviour

The shear performance of screwed connection systems usually adopted for lig htweight sandwich panels is investigated in this paper. First of all, after brief considerations concerning the possibility to use cladding panels as diaphragm in steel building and the corresponding connecting system require ments, the results of available monotonic and cyclic experimental analyses on several connection typologies are summarised. Then mathematical models a ble to interpret both monotonic and cyclic behaviour of the connections are proposed. In particular, the mathematical cyclic model is based on the pre viously defined envelope curve, which is expressed by means of a Ramberg-Os good type law relationship and calibrated trough monotonic tests. Finally, the comparison between experimental and numerical results is carried out, f ocussing on the actual dissipative capacities of such connection typologies . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.