Experimental study of the lateral performance of a steel stud wall with a semi-rigid connected frame

Recently, a new type of lightweight steel structural system has been developed: a steel stud wall with a semi-rigid connected frame. The lateral resistance of this system was investigated in this study. Eight tests were conducted on seven steel stud walls with steel frames and one with a semi-rigid frame. The specimens were subjected to cyclic loading. The failure process, bearing capacity, stiffness, and energy dissipation capacity of each specimen were compared and analyzed. Test results showed that the steel stud structure significantly improved the lateral bearing capacity and stiffness of the semi-rigid steel frames, resulting in good hysteretic behavior and energy dissipation capacity. Reducing the spacing or increasing the section of vertical steel tubes can improve bearing capacity and stiffness, but only slightly influences the structure's energy dissipation capacity. An excessive number of welded joints will increase welding residual stress and residual deformation, decreasing the lateral resistance of the structure due to the thinness of the square steel tube. The oriented strand board contributes considerably to the bearing capacity and stiffness of the structure, and is thus an important load-bearing component of the steel stud wall. The energy dissipation performance and ductility of the structure are mainly provided by the square steel tube and semi-rigid steel frame. In addition, the “pinch” phenomenon of the hysteretic curve is mainly caused by the cover board.