Determining the Lateral Resistance and Displacement of Shear Wall Panels in Cold-Formed Steel Structures

Light steel framing can be a good alternative to the traditional construction systems in Iran because of special benefits such as possibility of industrial manufacture, pre-fabrication and being a lightweight system. Shear wall panels composed of cold formed steel frame and sheathing materials are one of the most common lateral bracing systems in these structures. Because of lightness and low lateral forces of the earthquake, the sheathings generally are made of wooden materials.In this study, lateral strength and displacement of the shear wall panels were determined using a finite element model. The panels were modeled using ANSYS software and a nonlinear push-over analysis was carried out. By comparing the numerical results of the present study with those of different experimental works done by other researchers, the finite element model was verified.Then a parametric study was performed to determine the effect of frame, sheathing and connections characteristics on the lateral behavior of shear wall panels.