Development of an Innovative Load-Bearing Steel Stud Wall System for Blast Protection of Building Envelopes

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. recently developed a cost-effective, non-load-bearing steel stud wall system for blast protection of building envelopes. Field tests at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) using equivalent vehicle bombs validated the system's ability to resist high blast impulsive pressures. The load-bearing capacity of such systems is the focus of an ongoing research and development program undertaken by the Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC) at Tyndall AFB. This paper presents quasi-static ABAQUS/Explicit finite element analyses which demonstrate the potential use of these wall systems as primary, load-bearing, structural components in multi-story buildings. This study addresses typical load-bearing steel stud framing approaches including single-span, infill walls in platform construction, as well as multi-span walls in balloon or ledger framing. Use of composite and non-composite sheathing for enhanced blast resistance is assessed through a parametric study.