Optimal Support System of Sandwich Panels

This paper discusses self-supporting sandwich panels, which are used as wall and roof cladding. They consist of two external thin and flat facings and a thick soft core. The panels are subjected to mechanical and temperature actions. The aim of this paper was to find the optimal solution for supports of a multispan sandwich structure. The following support models were considered: rigid support and linear-elastic support, with or without an imposed limit of elastic deflection. The problem was formulated as a two-criterion optimization (i.e., the maximization of the load multiplier and the maximization of the allowable length of the span). The criteria were in mutual exclusion (i.e., the results of the optimization comprise a set of nondominated optimal solutions). It shows that the optimal choice of supporting conditions remarkably improves the capacity of thermally loaded sandwich panels used in civil engineering. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.