Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) framing has gained substantial popularity in the North American market in the recent years, particularly in mid-rise building construction. Buildings framed with closely spaced CFS members repetitively placed in the walls develop resistance to lateral loads through a variety of systems including steel sheet sheathing attached to the CFS members. Damage to walls sheathed with steel sheet largely manifests in the form of local failure of screw fasteners. To this end, in the present paper, the damage observed in fastener connections between steel sheet sheathing and CFS framing members in wall-lines subjected to quasi-static cyclic loading is systematically quantified. Four symmetric and unfinished wall-line configurations, including two each of Type I and Type II shear wall detailing systems, are evaluated at different performance levels. Tilting/bearing and sheet pullover are identified as the two predominant fastener connection failure modes and damage statistics for each failure mode demonstrate the progression of connection damage. Specimens with a larger quantity of fastener connections demonstrated 1.5-3.0 times greater hysteretic energy dissipation at similar cumulative drift. However, the number of fasteners used had no apparent effect on equivalent hysteretic damping due to the reduction in wall lateral strength developed.

Although cold-formed steel (CFS) framing systems have the potential to support the need for resilient housing, the use of CFS has been restricted due to gaps in understanding its structural behavior and by the limited guidelines provided in design standards. In particular, the contribution from nondesignated lateral systems and portions of the building system not specifically designated by the design engineers has not been substantially investigated through experiments. To address these shortcomings, a two-phased experimental effort was undertaken to assess the impact of gravity walls, finish application, window openings, and their relationship with the designated lateral force-resisting system. The wall-line assemblies tested, which have shear walls placed in-line with gravity walls, adopted chord stud packs with a tie-rod assembly and were either unfinished or finished, and laid out in a symmetrical or unsymmetrical fashion. In addition, both Type I and Type II shear wall and anchorage detailing were investigated. In this paper, the impact of test variables governing the nonstructural detailing of CFS-framed walls has been quantified, and a companion paper presents findings regarding the impact of structural detailing.

The North American construction industry has seen substantial growth in the use of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing for midrise buildings in recent years. In seismic zones, CFS-framed buildings utilize shear walls to provide the primary lateral resistance to earthquake induced loads. Although oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood panels have been traditionally used as the sheathing material for these essential components, more recently, steel sheet sheathing has emerged as a novel strategy due to its strength, ductility, ease of installation, and use of noncombustible material, among other benefits. To address the paucity of data regarding CFS-framed shear wall response within actual wall lines of buildings, a two-phased experimental effort was conducted. Wall-line assemblies were fabricated and tested with shear walls placed in-line with gravity walls. The shear walls chord stud packs include tie-rod assemblies consistent with multi-story detailing. Specimens were either unfinished or finished, and the shear walls were laid out in a symmetrical or unsymmetrical fashion within in the wall line. In addition, both Type I and Type II shear wall and anchorage detailing were investigated. In this paper, the impact of test variables governing the structural detailing of CFS-framed walls are quantified through dynamic and quasi-static tests, and a companion paper presents findings regarding the impact of architectural variations on seismic performance.