Theoretical and Experimental Evaluation of Seismic Behaviour of CFS Wall With Uhs Steel Bracing

Abstract

During last decades the focus of civil engineering market has been moving towards safe, energy-efficient and low-impact constructions. In this perspective, many research activities focused on Ligthweight Steel (LWS) Structures made of Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) skeleton, developing many innovative solutions. To this aim, the Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture of University of Naples "Federico II" in collaboration with the Italian company Lamieredil s.p.a. developed a load force resisting system (LFRS) made of CFS members and pretensioned Ultra-High Strength (UHS) steel diagonals in V configuration. A wide experimental campaign, consisting of tests on materials, components and full-scale walls, was carried out to evaluate the seismic behaviour of this LFRS. The effectiveness of the LFRS was also proved on site, through the construction of a full scale building prototype on company ground. The paper describes in detail the innovative LFRS, starting from the concept and theoretical approach used to predict the structural response, summarizes the experimental campaign, presenting the main results and shows all the construction phases of the building prototype.