Seismic response of Cfs strap-braced stud walls: Experimental investigation

• The seismic behavior of CFS strap-braced walls is evaluated by experimental investigation.
• The global inelastic response of a wide range of X-braced walls is discussed.
• The local behavior is investigated by tests on material and connection systems.
• The behavior factor provided by AISI S213 are confirmed by the experimental tests.
• The capacity design rules of Eurocodes are also reliable for the CFS structures.

The development of light weight steel structures in seismic area as Italy requires the upgrading of National Codes. To this end, in the last years a theoretical and experimental study was undertaken at the University of Naples within the Italian research project RELUIS-DPC 2010–2013. The study focused on “all-steel design” solutions and investigated the seismic behavior of strap-braced stud walls. Three typical wall configurations were defined according to both elastic and dissipative design criteria for three different seismic scenarios. The lateral in-plane inelastic behavior of these systems was evaluated by twelve tests performed on full-scale Cold-formed strap-braced stud wall specimens with dimensions 2400×2700 m2 subjected to monotonic and reversed cyclic loading protocols. The experimental campaign was completed with seventeen tests on materials, eight shear tests on elementary steel connections and twenty-eight shear tests on strap-framing connection systems. This paper provides the main outcomes of the experimental investigation. Furthermore, the design prescriptions, with particular reference to the behavior factor and the capacity design rules for these systems, have been proved on the basis of experimental results.