Finite Element Investigation of a Novel Cold-Formed Steel Shear Wall

In this paper, a novel corrugated steel sheet central sheathed cold-formed steel (CCS-CFS) shear wall is proposed. This shear wall can address the problems of low shear strength and ductility in conventional cold-formed steel (CFS) shear walls caused by screw connection failure and eccentric sheet arrangement. A numerical simulation method for the novel shear wall was developed and verified through cyclic loading test results of two full-size shear wall specimens. Parameter analysis was then conducted to investigate the effects of screw spacing, sheet thickness ratio, and aspect ratio on the seismic performance of these shear walls, accompanied by design recommendations. The results indicated that this innovative shear wall configuration can effectively resolve the connection failure between the frame and the sheet. Furthermore, the CCS-CFS shear wall can effectively improve shear strength, energy dissipation capacity, and ductility. The developed numerical simulation method can accurately capture the hysteretic properties and failure modes of shear walls. In addition, it can address the shortcomings in conventional models that neglect the mixed hardening characteristic of steel and metal damage criteria, resulting in inaccurate simulation results and unrealistic buckling modes. The principal failure modes observed in the novel shear wall were identified as the plastic buckling of corrugated steel sheathing and the distortional buckling of the end stud. Reducing the screw spacing has a limited impact on its shear strength. It is recommended that the sheet thickness ratio of the CCS-CFS shear wall should be greater than 2.0, while the aspect ratio can be relaxed to 10:4.

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