Behavior and Strength of Cold-Formed Steel Shear Walls Using Composite Panels

The cold-formed steel (CFS) framed shear wall sheathed with noncombustible panels is an ideal solution for low- and mid-rise buildings when combustible materials are not allowed by the code for certain circumstances. The CFS framed shear wall using steel sheet panel is a commonly used by the industry to fulfill the noncombustible material requirement. However compared to OSB or plywood panels, the steel sheet panel offers significantly lower strength and stiffness. To overcome the disadvantages of steel sheet shear wall, a test program was recently conducted at the University of North Texas to investigate the behavior and strength of CFS steel framed shear wall sheathed with the composite panel which is made of CFS steel sheet bonded to gypsum board. Both monotonic and cyclic tests were performed. It was found that the composite panel provided considerably higher shear strength than the traditional wood based sheathing and the 0.838 mm (0.033 in.) steel sheet sheathing. The composite panel shear wall demonstrated similar failure mechanism and post-peak behavior as the steel sheet shear wall. It is concluded that the tested composite panel is a suitable structural sheathing material for mid-rise buildings, particularly the Type I and II constructions, in seismic areas.