Steel sheathed cold-formed steel framed shear walls subjected to lateral and gravity loading

The design of steel sheathed cold-formed steel (CFS) framed shear walls is not addressed in Canadian design standards. A program of displacement based loading tests was carried out on single-storey shear walls of various configurations to investigate their performance and to establish a comprehensive database of information. The walls, which were subjected to lateral loading and combined lateral plus gravity loading, differed in sheathing thickness, screw fastener detailing, framing thickness, aspect ratio and framing reinforcement. The performance under loading was directly related to the sheathing connection pattern; however, when the framing elements were not blocked tension field forces resulted in significant damage to the chord studs. Details of the test program and general results are presented in this paper.