SEISMIC BEHAVIOR OF LIGHT-GAUGE COLD-FORMED STEEL STUD WALLS

Abstract

The seismic behavior of light-gauge CFS stud walls is evaluated through both experimental tests and numerical study to investigate their behavior. Studies on different structural components of the light-gauge CFS stud wall are performed. For framing members, different number of mid-field studs are considered. Moreover, the effect of blockings and their locations are investigated. As for the sheathing board, different types of sheathing materials are investigated. Furthermore, openings in sheathing with different configurations are studied. The experimental program is carried out at the (HBRC) in Egypt on a total number of six light-gauge CFS stud wall specimens. Different configurations including different sheathing material as well as number of sheathing sides are considered. In addition, both monotonic and cyclic loading (CUREE protocol) using displacement-controlled loading are adopted