Compressive loading of structural insulated panels and conventional stud walls: a study

Abstract

Structural insulated panels are structural elements comprising a core of expanded polystyrene insulation sandwiched between two oriented-strand boards. They can replace conventional joist floors and stud walls in low-rise residential construction. Three identical samples of a full-scale structural insulated panel and a stud wall were tested according to the ASTM standards, and the experimental results for the specimens are presented in terms of ultimate load capacity and failure mechanism. Comparing the load–deformation diagrams for the structural insulated panels and stud walls showed that tangential stiffness variation of the former occurred in the hardening mode, whereas such variation for the latter was in two stages: hardening and softening. The results show that regarding compressive loading, structural insulated panels are as good as conventional wood framing of the same size. Therefore, structural insulated panel walls are very efficient in the case of axial compressive loading.