Columns Braced by Girts and a Diaphragm

Light gage steel panels often are used as wall cladding or roof decking of steel framed structures. These interconnected panels act as diaphragms which can resist shear and, therefore, brace the members to which they are attached if proper connection is provided between the diaphragms and the members. When used as wall cladding the panels usually are fastened to horizontal girts which in turn are connected to the columns. A reliable theory and computational procedure is presented for obtaining critical loads of columns with such diaphragm-girt bracing. This critical load can be the same as that of a column having an effective length equal to the girt spacing. The theory has been verified by tests, and can serve as the basis for the development of suitable design procedures for diaphragm-girt bracing.