Evaluation of Non-Structural Partition Walls and Suspended Ceiling Systems through a Shake Table Study

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A unique full-scale study was undertaken to consider the behavior of gypsum board partition walls and typical suspended ceiling systems. Each specimen consisted of four partition walls which created an enclosed space and allowed for the interaction of perpendicular walls framed into each other to be evaluated. The effects of discontinuities in the partition walls were studied through the placement of a large opening in one of the walls and a door frame in the opposite wall. The setup also allowed for the evaluation of interaction between the walls and ceiling system. The specimens were loaded through the use of a shake table such that the behavior and damage could be correlated with particular drift levels. The non-structural walls underwent a rocking behavior as a result of the presence of a perpendicular wall. Significant damage was seen as drift levels reached 1/66 radians with most of this damage concentrated around the door frame and at the corners of the partition walls. Only minimal damage was imparted to the ceiling systems as they performed to design standards. The results of this test were critical in providing preliminary data for the full-scale study of a four-story steel moment frame tested at E-defense in Japan, which incorporated these non-structural systems.