Effective Strip Method for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Framed Shear Wall with Steel Sheet Sheathing

Abstract

The cold-formed steel framed shear wall sheathed with steel sheet sheathing (CFS-SSSW) is a code-approved lateral force resisting system for light-framed construction. The American Iron and Steel Institute provides design provisions for CFS-SSSWs. However, the nominal strengths of CFS-SSSWs published in the current standard were based on full-scale experiments which were subjected to limitations in both wall configurations and material properties. This paper presents an analytical design method, the effective strip method, developed for predicting the nominal strength of CFS-SSSWs. The proposed design approach shows good agreements with test results. The statistical assessment indicates that the new design method is reliable and provides designers an alternate tool to determine the strength of CFS-SSSWs without conducting full-scale shear wall tests.