Impression of Gypsum Panel and Fiber Cement Board Sheathing on Seismic Behavior of Cold-Formed Steel Stud Walls

This paper investigates the impressions of gypsum panel and fiber cement board sheathing on seismic performance of CFS stud walls. For this purpose, five 3600 in 3000 millimeter (length in height) specimens which three of them were strapped diagonally have been tested under cyclic loading. The hysteresis diagram, failure modes and ductility coefficient, were extracted for each specimen and compared. The experiments showed the nonstructural sheathing boards such as gypsum panel and fiber cement cladding would improve the lateral performance of the CFS walls – with or without the strap brace – by 40 percent in average.