Abstract
The experimental performance together with the theoretical predictions of strains and deflections of thin fibre cement corrugated sheets are principally reported in this thesis. Existing theories of tensile behaviour of fibre reinforced cement are reviewed. Asbestos cement and alternative fibre reinforced cement technologies associated with these sheeting materials are discussed. Asbestos cement and polypropylene network reinforced cement corrugated sheeting have been tested under a variety of loading regimes and support conditions. Asbestos-free commercial products have also been tested. Finite element analyses based on the LUSAS system have been used to predict the shape of the uncracked load- deflection curves and deflection and strain profiles of various corrugated sheets with different geometrical profiles. Wetting and drying tests on uncracked asbestos cement and polypropylene network reinforced cement sheets have been carried out and a prediction made using the Lusas program of the warping stresses caused by moisture gradients. A new approach has been developed to predict the load-deflection curves and deflection profiles of semi-cracked and severely cracked polypropylene network reinforced cement sheets under various loading regimes. In this approach, cyclic loading characteristics of the tensile specimens were used to estimate the elastic moduli of the cracked composite for various numbers of cracks at two different load levels. Generally, the theoretical predictions show good agreement with the experimental results for uncracked and cracked sheets and hence the mathematical models could, with confidence, be used to assess the performance of a range of corrugated sheeting with various loading configurations.