Study on axial compression and steel‐confined enhancement performance of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete spliced panel walls

Abstract Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is increasingly used in structural applications due to its low density, superior thermal and fire insulation, and ease of construction. Nevertheless, AAC is still employed predominantly as a building‐envelope material in masonry systems, and its axial load‐carrying behavior as a wall panel system—particularly the interaction with reinforcement and the influence of connection details—remains insufficiently understood. Therefore, this study addresses these gaps through axial compression tests on eight AAC wall panel specimens to evaluate the effects of panel layout, connection configuration, reinforcement detailing, and external steel restraint on mechanical performance. The results show that specimens with horizontal panel joints exhibited delayed joint cracking relative to those with vertical joints. Introducing reinforcement increased axial compressive capacity by 37.41%–42.53%. The difference in capacity between specimens reinforced with steel mesh cages and those with steel mesh sheets was only 3.73%, indicating comparable strengthening effects. However, mesh cages more effectively limited out‐of‐plane displacement. Applying fiberglass mesh at the joints curtailed crack initiation and propagation. External steel restraint further enhanced axial compressive capacity by 26.02%–49.11%. Finite element models were developed in Abaqus and calibrated against the test data to conduct a parametric study on the influences of panel thickness, reinforcement type, and bar diameter. Based on the experimental findings and parametric analyses, a modified design equation is proposed for predicting the axial load‐carrying capacity of AAC wall panels.