Abstract
To advance understanding of the multihazard performance of midrise cold-formed steel (CFS) construction, a unique multidisciplinary experimental program was conducted on the Large High-Performance Outdoor Shake Table (LHPOST) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The centerpiece of this project involved earthquake and live fire testing of a full-scale 6-story CFS wall braced building. Initially, the building was subjected to seven earthquake tests of increasing motion intensity, sequentially targeting service, design, and maximum credible earthquake (MCE) demands. Subsequently, live fire tests were conducted on the earthquake-damaged building at two select floors. Finally, for the first time, the test building was subjected to two postfire earthquake tests, including a low-amplitude aftershock and an extreme near-fault target MCE-scaled motion. In addition, low-amplitude white noise and ambient vibration data were collected during construction and seismic testing phases to support identification of the dynamic state of the building system. This paper offers an overview of this unique multihazard test program and presents the system-level structural responses and physical damage features of the test building throughout the earthquake-fire-earthquake test phases, whereas the component-level seismic behavior of the shear walls and seismic design implications of CFS-framed building systems are discussed in a companion paper.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Acknowledgments
This research project is a collaboration between two academic institutions (University of California, San Diego, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute), two government or institutional granting agencies (Department of Housing and Urban Development and the California Seismic Safety Commission) and more than 15 industry partners. The authors also thank the Jacobs School of Engineering and Department of Structural Engineering at UCSD for matching support of this effort. Industry sponsors include the California Expanded Metal Products Co. (CEMCO) and Sure-Board, who each provided financial, construction, and materials support. Specific individuals that dedicated significant time on behalf of this effort include Fernando Sesma (CEMCO), Kelly Holcomb, Carleton Elliot, and Tyler Elliot (Sure-Board), Harry Jones (DCI Engineers), Diego Rivera (SWS Panels), Doug Antuma (Rivante), Larry Stevig (State Farm Insurance), Tim Reinhold and Warner Chang (Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety), Steve Helland (DPR Construction), Rick Calhoun (Walters & Wolf), and Jesse Karnes (MiTek). The authors appreciate the efforts of these individuals and their colleagues at their respective firms. Regarding support for the test program, the efforts of NHERI@UCSD staff, namely, Robert Beckley, Jeremy Fitcher, Dan Radulescu, and Alex Sherman, and UCSD graduate student Srikar Gunisetty are greatly appreciated. Findings and conclusions presented herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of the sponsoring agencies or industry partners.
References
AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute). 2015a. North American specification for the design of cold-formed steel structural framing. AISI S240. Washington, DC: AISI.
AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute). 2015b. North American standard for seismic design of cold-formed steel structural systems. AISI S400. Washington, DC: AISI.
Al-Kharat, M., and C. A. Rogers. 2007. “Inelastic performance of cold-formed steel strap braced walls.” J. Constr. Steel Res. 63 (4): 460–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2006.06.040.
ASCE. 2016. Minimum design loads for buildings and other structures. ASCE 7. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Balh, N., J. DaBreo, C. Ong-Tone, K. El-Saloussy, C. Yu, and C. A. Rogers. 2014. “Design of steel sheathed cold-formed steel framed shear walls.” Thin-Walled Struct. 75 (Feb): 76–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2013.10.023.
Branston, A., Y. C. Chen, F. A. Boudreault, and C. A. Rogers. 2006. “Testing of light-gauge steel-frame—Wood structural panel shear walls.” Can. J. Civ. Eng. 33 (5): 561–572. https://doi.org/10.1139/l06-014.
Fiorino, L., B. Bucciero, and R. Landolfo. 2019. “Shake table tests of three storey cold-formed steel structures with strap-braced walls.” Bull. Earthquake Eng. 17 (7): 4217–4245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-019-00642-z.
Fiorino, L., V. Macillo, and R. Landolfo. 2017. “Shake table tests of a full-scale two-story sheathing-braced cold-formed steel building.” Eng. Struct. 151 (Nov): 633–647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.08.056.
Fülöp, L., and D. Dubina. 2004. “Performance of wall-stud cold-formed shear panels under monotonic and cyclic loading: Part I: Experimental research.” Thin-Walled Struct. 42 (2): 321–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-8231(03)00063-6.
Hoehler, M. S., C. M. Smith, T. C. Hutchinson, X. Wang, B. J. Meacham, and P. Kamath. 2017. “Behavior of steel-sheathed shear walls subjected to seismic and fire loads.” Fire Saf. J. 91 (Jul): 524–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2017.03.021.
Iuorio, O., V. Macillo, M. T. Terracciano, T. Pali, L. Fiorino, and R. Landolfo. 2014. “Seismic response of CFS strap-braced stud walls: Experimental investigation.” Thin-Walled Struct. 85 (Dec): 466–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2014.09.008.
Landolfo, R., L. Fiorino, and G. Della Corte. 2006. “Seismic behavior of sheathed cold-formed structures: Physical tests.” J. Struct. Eng. 132 (4): 570–581. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2006)132:4(570).
Liu, P., K. D. Peterman, and B. W. Schafer. 2014. “Impact of construction details on OSB-sheathed cold-formed steel framed shear walls.” J. Constr. Steel Res. 101 (Oct): 114–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2014.05.003.
Macillo, V., L. Fiorino, and R. Landolfo. 2017. “Seismic response of CFS shear walls sheathed with nailed gypsum panels: Experimental tests.” Thin-Walled Struct. 120 (Nov): 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2017.08.022.
NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). 2013. Standard for fire doors and other opening protectives. NFPA 80. Quincy, MA: NFPA.
NIST. 2016. Seismic design of cold-formed steel lateral load-resisting systems: A guide for practicing engineers. Gaithersburg, MD: NIST.
Peterman, K. D., M. J. Stehman, R. L. Madsen, S. G. Buonopane, N. Nakata, and B. W. Schafer. 2016a. “Experimental seismic response of a full-scale cold-formed steel-framed building. I: System-level response.” J. Struct. Eng. 142 (12): 04016127. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0001577.
Peterman, K. D., M. J. Stehman, R. L. Madsen, S. G. Buonopane, N. Nakata, and B. W. Schafer. 2016b. “Experimental seismic response of a full-scale cold-formed steel-framed building. II: Subsystem-level response.” J. Struct. Eng. 142 (12): 04016128. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0001578.
Serrette, R., J. Encalada, M. Juadines, and H. Nguyen. 1997. “Static racking behavior of plywood, OSB, gypsum, and fiberboard walls with metal framing.” J. Struct. Eng. 123 (8): 1079–1086. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1997)123:8(1079).
Shamim, I., J. Dabreo, and C. A. Rogers. 2013. “Dynamic testing of single- and double-story steel-sheathed cold-formed steel-framed shear walls.” ASCE J. Struct. Eng. 139 (5): 807–817. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0000594.
Van Overschee, P., and B. De Moor. 1996. Subspace identification for linear systems: Theory, implementation, applications. Boston: Kluwer.
Wang, X., and T. C. Hutchinson. 2020. “Evolution of modal characteristics of a mid-rise cold-formed steel building during construction and earthquake testing.” Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn. 49 (14): 1539–1558. https://doi.org/10.1002/eqe.3316.
Wang, X., and T. C. Hutchinson. 2021. “Earthquake and post-earthquake fire testing of a mid-rise cold-formed steel framed building. II: Shear wall behavior of design implications.” J. Struct. Eng. 147 (9): 04021126. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0003098.
Wang, X., T. C. Hutchinson, G. Hegemeir, S. Gunisetty, P. Kamath, and B. Meacham. 2016. Earthquake and post-earthquake fire performance of a mid-rise cold-formed steel framed building—Test program and test results. Final Report (CFS Test Program Report #2). Structural Systems Research Project. La Jolla, CA: Univ. of California, San Diego.
Wang, X., C. E. Wittich, T. C. Hutchinson, Y. Bock, D. Goldberg, E. Lo, and F. Kuester. 2020. “Methodology and validation of UAV-based video analysis approach for tracking earthquake-induced building displacements.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng. 34 (6): 04020045. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CP.1943-5487.0000928.
Wang, X., and J. Ye. 2016. “Cyclic testing of two-and three-story CFS shear-walls with reinforced end studs.” J. Constr. Steel Res. 121 (Jun): 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2015.12.028.
Yu, C. 2010. “Shear resistance of cold-formed steel framed shear walls with 0.686 mm, 0.762 mm, and 0.838 mm steel sheet sheathing.” Eng. Struct. 32 (6): 1522–1529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2010.01.029.
Zhang, W., M. Mahdavian, Y. Li, and C. Yu. 2016. “Experiments and simulations of cold-formed steel wall assemblies using corrugated steel sheathing subjected to shear and gravity loads.” J. Struct. Eng. 143 (4): 04016193. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0001681.
Zhang, W., M. Mahdavian, Y. Li, and C. Yu. 2017. “Seismic performance evaluation of cold-formed steel shear walls using corrugated steel sheathing.” J. Struct. Eng. 143 (11): 04017151. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0001891.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 9 • September 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 18, 2020
Accepted: Apr 8, 2021
Published online: Jun 28, 2021
Published in print: Sep 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Nov 28, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.