Analysis Of Lateral Loading Capacity Of Light-gauge Steel Composite Wall With Different Panels

The light-gauge steel structure which consists of cold-formed steel members has a considerable number of features such as light weight, environment-friendly, easy to build and assembly line production. The composite wall is of importance in the light-gauge steel structure, which is the main lateral resistance member. As this kind of structure imported into China, there are some new wall panels emerging in the application. As a result, it is necessary to take a research for the lateral loading capacity of walls with different panels.In this thesis, a new type of light-gauge steel composite wall is researched, using the finite element method software AB AQUS to establish relatively accurate model to analyze the lateral performance of this type of light-gauge steel composite wall with different panels and to results load-displacement curves and lateral stiffness. The FEM method is also used to evaluate the factors affecting house behavior under lateral loading such as panel materials, thickness of cladding,properties of framing members, and stud and screw space. After analysis with the finite element method, the lateral performance and factors affecting house behavior under lateral loading could be evaluated. Based on the results, a light-gauge steel composite wall in the real project is chosen to calculate its displacement under seismic load and wind load and to compare the results to the design code, which can be reference to the future project.This thesis focuses on the following items:The results of analysis show that the light-gauge steel composite wall with ALC panel has the larger lateral resistance force than the wall using other three types of panels with the lateral displacement being the smallest when the load rise to the summit during analyzing. In terms of the walls using four types of panels, the factors affecting the house behavior under lateral loading such as panel materials, thickness of cladding,properties of framing members, and stud and screw space exert similar effect on the lateral performance of the walls. However, the extent to which these factors affect the lateral resistance force of the wall differs. The wall aspect ratio and the stud space are the main factors that affect the lateral performance. Contrastively, screw space has slight effect on the wall, which means that light-gauge steel composite walls with different screw space have nearly the same lateral performance. The results of calculating the displacement of the wall with ALC panel in the real project coincide with the design code, which manifests that ALC panel is feasible in the building of this type of structure.