LATERAL PERFORMANCE OF STEEL SHEATHED COLD-FORMED STEEL SHEAR WALLS

Abstract

This thesis focuses primarily on the lateral Performance of Cold-formed steel shear walls for seismic design. Cold-formed steel consists of steel sections that are re-rolled at room temperature. Due to this re-processing of steel, they have a very high strength-to-weight ratio compared to hot-rolled steel. Because of its lower weight, the application of Cold-formed steel in the areas of high seismicity for low to mid-rise height construction is the current state of the art. Since pre-engineered buildings (PEBs) are the way of the future in India, cold-formed steel may be the most suitable option. This study aims to understand the behaviour, their different modes of failure, simulation by FEA, and design procedures of components like studs, tracks, and nogging, which are used in shear walls made of cold-formed steel. To achieve these objectives, numerical simulation of components, their validation and parametric studies are done & compared with the results with the analytical method mentioned in American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) Codes. After investigating the local components of the shear wall, the research has moved on to the global component, the CFS steel shear wall. The experimental test on cold-formed steel shear walls with steel sheathing was based on one of the research papers, and the results were validated using numerical data acquired from Abaqus. Additional parametric modelling has been carried out on a number of critical parameters, and important findings have been made regarding the same.