A Comparison of Design Methods for Profiled Sandwich Panels Subject to Local Buckling Effects

A brief review of the laboratory tests conducted by Davies and Hakmi, details of finite element analysis results and a comparison of design methods for profiled sandwich panels subject to local buckling effects are discussed. The comparisons indicated that the current design rule (CIB, 2000) overestimated the effective widths of the plate elements foam-filled steel beams whereas the effective widths predicted by the new improved design rule (Pokharel and Mahendran, 2004a) agreed reasonably well with the experimental results by being slightly conservative.