International Journal of Steel Structures 17(4): 1404-1414 (2017)

DOI 10.1007/s13296-017-1211-z
ISSN 1598-2351 (Print)
ISSN 2093-6311 (Online)

www.springer.com/journal/13296

Shear Capacity of Cold-Formed Light-Gauge Steel Framed

Shear-Wall Panels with Fiber Cement Board Sheathing
Wasim Khaliq* and Ahmed Moghis
National University of Sciences and Technology, (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Being light in weight, cold-formed steel shear wall panels (SWPs) made with light gauge steel are extensively used in
residential and office buildings (low to mid-rise), particularly in structures under seismic loadings. Many design practices
involve the use of fiber cement board (FCB) as sheathing material both for hollow and infilled walls. FCB is a preferred choice
as cladding material due to many advantages it provides such as water resistance, lower cost, withstand temperature variation,
resistance to humidity and termite attack, better acoustic insulation, and superior fire resistance properties. In the absence of
design guidelines, based on cold-formed light gauge steel shear walls with FCB sheathing, the designers resolve to use the
guideline available for gypsum wall board (GWB) and fiberboard (FB) available in American Iron and Steel Institute Lateral
Design. As a pioneer study, an experimental program was designed to investigate the behavior of cold-formed light gauge steel
shear walls, both hollow and infilled with expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam concrete, with FCB sheathing on both sides under
monotonic loading. The tests were performed according to ASTM E564 standard. Results show that the strength of shear walls
with FCB sheathing is much higher than GWB and FB sheathing, suggesting that substitute design practices are highly
conservative. Test results can help designers choose desired lateral stiffness and load carrying capacity of light gauge steel
SWPs more efficiently, by selecting appropriate framing, infill, and sheathing material.

Keywords: light gauge steel, shear wall panels, fiber cement board, sheathing, infill foam concrete, deflection

1. Introduction walls support the horizontal diaphragm (floor/roof) and

Light gauge steel construction is a practical alternative
to lumber and conventional construction mainly due to
higher strength, ductility, and lightweight. Prevalent wood
construction trends are changing all over the world owing
to environment and sustainability considerations. On the
other hand, conventional construction composed of adobe
brick masonry and stone masonry in most parts of the
world are always found prone to extensive damage in the
event of earthquakes. Light gauge steel construction systems
are accepted as most suitable and attractive alternative to
the conventional construction mainly because of increasing
demand for rapid and economical re-construction and
safety against seismic loads. Because of the lightweight
in nature, a special lateral structural system has to be
developed to resist lateral forces. The lateral load resisting
mechanism is typically referred as “shear wall”. Shear
Received February 2, 2015; accepted April 18, 2017;
published online December 31, 2017
© KSSC and Springer 2017
*Corresponding author
Tel: +92 320 5429488, Fax: +92 51 90854502
E-mail: wasimkhaliq@nice.nust.edu.pk
transfer the lateral loads down to the foundations via hold
down (anchors). Shear walls in light gauge steel structure
are made by bracing the walls. Bracing can be done in
two ways either by fixing flat strap x-braces or by fixing
a sheathing material on the wall using fasteners (Al-
Kharat and Rogers 2007).
A number of experimental and analytical investigations
have been carried out for a better understanding of the
behavior and strength of different shear wall panels
against lateral load applications with diverse configurations.
In one of the pioneer studies, Girard and Tarpy Jr (1982)
investigated the response of panels sheathed with gypsum
sheathing board (GSB), gypsum wall board (GWB) and
plywood (PLY). The response of panels using different
corner anchorage details was also investigated. It was
reported by authors that PLY sheathing performed much
better in resisting in-plane shear to that of GWB, moreover,
it was also found that decreasing the stud spacing also
marginally increased the shear resistance of shear wall
panels. However, authors also proposed that a particular
design and construction technique should be followed for
obtaining feasible performance of shear wall panels against
lateral loads. Tissell (1993) conducted tests on wood and
metal framed walls sheathed with oriented strand board