An experimental study on the axial behaviour of cold-formed steel wall studs and panels

A full-scale experimental study on the structural performance of load-bearing wall panels made of cold-formed steel frames and boards is presented. Six different types of C-channel stud, a total of 20 panels with one middle stud and 10 panels with two middle studs were tested under vertical compression until failure. The measured stud failure load agrees well with analytical prediction. The load carrying capacity of a stud increases significantly when one- or two-side sheathing is used, although the latter is more effective. It is also dependent upon the type of board used. Whereas panels with either OSB (orient strand board) or CPB (cement particle board) sheathing have nearly identical load carrying capacity, panels with CSB (calcium silicate board) sheathing are considerably weaker. Screw spacing affects the load carrying capacity of a stud. When the screw spacing on the middle stud in panels with one-side sheathing is reduced from 600 to 300 mm, the stud load carrying capacity increases by 14.5, 20.6 and 94.2% for OSB, CPB and CSB sheathing, respectively.