ABSTRACT
There are strong incentives worldwide to encourage the use of environmentally friendly materials in buildings. This paper outlines a project to promote the use of home-grown and home-manufactured materials in the construction of composite web cross-section structural elements, concentrating on the study of I and box sections with discontinuous webs to be used as wall and column members capable of resisting axial forces and bending moments and incorporating high levels of thermal insulation. Theoretical models and experimental elements were investigated. The prototypes were fabricated and tested as beams so that the flexural stiffness could be monitored with a progressive increase in the size and frequency of the web openings. It was found that substantial openings could be introduced without a significant reduction in strength and stiffness. The box section beam types were shown to be superior in terms of lateral stability and ease of fabrication.
