Light-Gauge Shear Panel with Slotted Cold-Reduced Sheet Steel Brace

In low seismic regions where wind loading governs structural design, the use of high-strength cold-reduced sheet steels for tension strap braces is attractive, but is hindered by a lack of material ductility that causes these braces to fracture without yielding. The present work investigates the potential solutions through laboratory tests at the brace component and at the whole shear panel levels. The slot-perforated braces with square or rounded slot ends tend to fracture at or near a slot end, while those with pointed slot ends avoid fracture there. Finite element analyses were used to confirm the experimental findings. The rounded slot end is recommended from the fabrication and deformation capacity points of view. The shear panel test results show that a normal high-strength strap brace would fracture at a screwed end without yielding, while the recommended solution can ensure substantial yielding provided the ratio of net slotted section to gross section is lower than the connection efficiency defined in the present work. The shear panel’s deformation capacity can be controlled via the slot length. The desired slot length can be split into multiple slot perforations along the brace to facilitate inline punching during fabrication.