Capacity Evaluation of Typical Stud-Track Screw Connections in Nonstructural Walls

Abstract

A series of component-level experiments have been conducted aiming to evaluate the force and displacement capacities of typical stud-track screw connections (STCs) in steel-framed partition walls. The variables considered in these experiments included screw-edge distances, loading protocols (monotonic or cyclic), and stud and track thicknesses. The experimental data was then utilized to develop different capacity fragility curves for STCs in terms of displacements. A series of analytical STC hinge models were also proposed and validated using this data. The hinge models can be adopted in future studies to develop a comprehensive analytical model for a typical partition wall assembly.