Experimental research on the failure mechanism of foam concrete with C-Channel embedment

An experimental investigation is carried out on the failure mechanism of foam concrete with cold formed steel double C-Channels embedment. The foam concrete is made of cement and fly ash with a compressive strength between 9 and 24 MPa with different densities. Forty-eight tests have been carried out in four groups of specimens with various embedment depths of the steel in the concrete. Four modes of failure are observed, which include the independent failure of the C-Channels with and without a concrete block inside the channel as well as the combined failure of the two channels, and the failure of the extrusion block. A theoretical model has been developed to understand the failure process. The peak compressive force applied onto the C-Channels that causes failure is calculated. It is concluded that the failure involves independent slippage between two C-Channels, and the steel and the foam concrete blocks inside the C-Channels. A method to calculate the peak force is also developed based on the test results. The calculations also show that the shear strength of the foam concrete is about 8% of the compressive strength with a coefficient of 0.4 between the steel and concrete.