Performance of cold-formed steel shear walls with single and

double sided steel sheet sheathing subjected to cyclic loading

S. Mohebbi*1, R. Mirghaderi2 and F. Farahbod 3
1
School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
(E-mail: sdmohebbi@gmail.com)
2
School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
(E-mail: rsl.mirghaderi@gmail.com)
3
Building and Housing Research Center (BHRC), Tehran, Iran
(E-mail: farhangfarahbod@yahoo.com)

Abstract
In high risk seismic regions, designers of structures with cold-formed members may tend to
employ shear walls with steel sheathing to provide a higher shear capacity. This paper presents
an experimental investigation into cold-formed steel shear walls with steel sheathing in one side
and both sides with different failure modes. Adding a steel sheathing on the second side
increases the shear strength and stiffness of the walls. Shear strength improvement ratio, ductility
ratio, and energy dissipation for walls with frame connection failure mode were higher than
walls with chord stud failure mode.

KEYWORDS: Cold-formed steel, Shear wall, Steel sheathing, Single and double-sided, Shear
strength, Energy dissipation.

1. Introduction
Cold-formed steel (CFS) stud-framed shear wall with steel sheathing is an approved lateral
force-resisting system in ASCE7-10 [1] for low-rise buildings. The current standard for cold-
formed steel framing lateral design, American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) [2], presents the
nominal shear strength of steel sheathed CFS shear walls on the basis of the sheathing thickness
values 0.457mm and 0.686mm with aspect ratios (i.e. height-to-width ratios) up to 2:1 and 4:1
respectively. The shear strength values presented in AISI 2007 Lateral Design are based on
studies of Serrette et al. [3,4]. They argued that, in shear walls with highly spaced fasteners, a
sheathing fastener pullout occurred and there was a significant deformation in the sheathing. In
shear walls with closely spaced fasteners, the failure mode was the buckling both in the
sheathing and in the studs.
With the rapid growth in the application of CFS structural systems, a greater range of aspect
ratios and steel sheathing thickness values have attracted the attention of structural designers.
Therefore, Cheng Yu [5] conducted an experimental program to determine the shear strength of
cold-formed steel shear walls with sheathing thickness of 0.762 and 0.838 mm and aspect ratios
of 4:1 and 2:1 and those with sheathing thickness of 0.686 mm and aspect ratio of 2:1. The
buckling of the steel sheathing and pullout of sheathing screws were the primary failure modes
for sheet steel CFS shear walls. Yu concluded that the thicker steel sheets did not significantly
increase the shear resistance of CFS shear walls, and the code reduction factor is a simple