| A new type of prefabricated and panelized brick veneer on steel framework backup exterior wall system was developed that can be designed for multi-hazard resistance. This system was developed to address some of the shortcomings of conventional brick veneer on steel stud backup exterior wall systems including a high potential for flexural cracking of brick veneer under wind load, subsequent water penetration through cracks, possibility of failure under in-plane seismic induced story drift, and dependency of speed and quality of brick laying on environmental conditions. The system adopted a combination of light gauge steel stud vertical members and structural steel boundary members as the backup system for wind load resistance; tie-back connections for seismic isolation; and fiber reinforced polymer external reinforcement for impact and blast resistance.;The system was evaluated both analytically and experimentally. A 3-D finite element model was developed to investigate performance of the system under lateral wind pressure. The analysis results showed that the maximum stress in the brick veneer perpendicular to bed joints as well as deflections of both the brick veneer and the steel frame backup were smaller than those for conventional brick veneer on steel stud backup walls and the possibility of cracking in the brick veneer could also be reduced.;The performances of full-scale single story, single bay mockups of conventional and panelized systems were evaluated in a simulated wind loading chamber. The results showed that deflections of both the brick veneer and the steel backup frame of the panelized specimen were much smaller than those of the conventional specimen. The conventional brick veneer cracked during the test and water penetration was measured thereafter. The panelized specimen did not crack during the tests under pressures much higher than the building code's design level. The panelized specimen was also tested on a racking test facility to evaluate the efficiency of the tie-back connections to isolate in-plane seismic movement of the primary structure system from the panel. The panel failed by shearing of the rods under a drift ratio slightly higher than the code requirement. The brick veneer was completely isolated from the movement and experienced no cracking. |
