Performance of wall-stud cold-formed shear panels under monotonic and cyclic loading: Part I: Experimental research

The ever-increasing need for housing generated the search for new and innovative building methods to increase speed, efficiency and enhance quality, one direction being the use of light thin steel profiles as load bearing elements and different materials for cladding. The same methodology can be employed to build small steel structures for offices, schools or other purposes. Earthquake behaviour of these structures is influenced, together with other parameters, by the hysteretic characteristics of the shear wall panels. Results of a full-scale shear test programme on wall panels are presented, together with some numerical results concerning expectable earthquake performance of this structural typology.