High-Fidelity Finite Element Modeling of Wood-Sheathed Cold-Formed Steel Shear Walls

Abstract

Cold-formed steel (CFS) framed construction has been widely adopted and used toward a modern, lightweight, and cost-efficient engineering practice across the United States. The primary objective of this work is to numerically assess the performance of CFS-framed shear walls sheathed with oriented strand board (OSB) and subjected to seismic events. A robust three-dimensional high-fidelity shell finite element model is developed and aims to provide a benchmark modeling approach able to accurately capture strength, stiffness, and failure mechanisms in these systems. Particular attention is given to the fundamental role of the connections between the CFS members and the OSB sheathing to the overall shear wall lateral response. To understand the variability in this critical connection, a series of 30 identical connection tests are performed. The robustness of the proposed computational model is validated by nine different CFS shear wall experimental studies and by a parametric analysis. The developed model is applied to provide an accurate experimentally-derived fastener-based computational tool of CFS-framed shear walls with potential use in design code expansion.