A Numerical Model for Capturing the In-Plane Seismic Response of
Interior Metal Stud Partition Walls

By Richard L. Wood and Tara C. Hutchinson

Abstract: A commonly used nonstructural system representing significant investment in building construction is the ceiling-piping-partition (CPP) system. In this work, one of the subsystems within the CPP is given particular attention, namely the partition wall subsystem. Using data from experiments conducted at the University at Buffalo within the NEES Nonstructural project, a numerical model is developed to capture the inplane seismic response of full-height gypsum board on cold-formed steel framed partition walls. The behavior of the partition wall is captured using a lumped model localized within a zero-length element in the OpenSees platform.

The model’s predictive capabilities are demonstrated via simulation of individual walls. In particular, a fully connected partition wall, a normalized mean model is shown to capture the experimental hysteresis behavior with reasonable accuracy. The partition element is then integrated into numerical models of representative building types and the sensitivity of the building dynamic characteristics due to the presence of the partition wall is evaluated. At most, a period shift of 14% is noted for the shortest example building considered.

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Assessment of Floor Accelerations in Yielding Buildings

By Joseph D. Wieser, Gokhan Pekcan, Arash E. Zaghi, Ahmad M. Itani and Emmanuel “Manos” Maragakis

Abstract: The large investment in nonstructural components in buildings and severe damage to these components in recent earthquakes necessitates improved design provisions for these components. This study uses the OpenSees finite element framework to develop full three-dimensional models of four steel moment frame buildings. The incremental dynamic analysis method is employed to evaluate the floor response of inelastic steel moment frame buildings subjected to all three components of a suite of 21 ground motions.

To better understand the acceleration demands on nonstructural components, this study focuses on the influence of structural period, level of ductility of the structure, and relative height in the building on the horizontal and vertical floor acceleration response. As a result of this study, a more realistic formulation of the peak floor acceleration response accounting for the effect of structural period and ductility is proposed and may be used to improve current code estimations. In addition, a direct method for developing an envelope horizontal floor response spectrum is presented.

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Experimental Seismic Evaluation, Model Parameterization, and Effects of Cold-Formed Steel-Framed Gypsum Partition Walls on the Seismic Performance of an Essential Facility

By R. Davies, R. Retamales, G. Mosqueda and A. Filiatrault

Abstract: The first phase of the NEES Nonstructural Grand Challenge Project tested full-scale cold-formed steel-framed gypsum partition walls using the University at Buffalo Nonstructural Component Simulator (UB-NCS). A description and experimental results for 22 different partition wall configurations is given. The experimental data are used to populate an extensive seismic fragility database for cold-formed steel-framed gypsum partition walls. Parameters for a tri-linear hysteretic model, aimed at reproducing the in-plane mechanical behavior of partition walls, are determined from the experimentally obtained force-displacement curves.

Recommended parameters for in-plane walls are given for individual configurations and cold-formed steel-framed nonstructural partition walls. The calibrated partition wall models are combined with the structural model of an existing four-story steel moment-resisting frame medical facility to demonstrate the effect on dynamic properties. As the period of the structure reduces due to the increased stiffness from partition wall systems, reductions in drift and absolute floor accelerations are observed. The assumption that these wall systems have negligible impact is disproven by the use of incremental dynamic analyses performed according to the FEMA P695 methodology. The analyses show that including the contribution of steel stud gypsum partition walls to the lateral force-resisting system increases the building collapse safety margin by 32 percent. [more]

Report available through the Multidiciplanary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER)

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