Parametric study on seismic response modification factor of strap-braced cold-formed steel systems

Abstract

While cold-formed steel structures have been extensively studied for seismic-resistant construction, existing regulations, and implementation guidelines do not comprehensively address the impact of key design parameters on the seismic behavior of CFS strap-braced shear wall systems. This study investigates the lateral resistance and seismic behavior factor of strap-braced shear walls and compares them with code values, and tries to fully understand the effect of different design parameters on the seismic R-factor of these systems. The effect of parameters such as the strap cross-sectional area, aspect ratio, and distance between the studs is studied using ANSYS finite element software to create datasets for various configurations. The pushover analysis results obtained from this analysis are utilized to perform incremental dynamic analysis, under a set of 22 ground motion records, to evaluate the seismic response modification factor for different residential buildings. For this purpose, one to four-story residential buildings are designed based on four seismic hazard zones: low, moderate, high, and very high and then, they are analyzed. Results of pushover analysis show that increasing the strap cross-sectional area and aspect ratio increases capacity, but changing the distance between studs does not have a significant effect, and the R factor presented by codes is conservative. Incremental dynamic analysis results also indicate that the behavior of studied buildings varies depending on the structure and selected record and the suggested R factor by codes for diagonal straps braced cold-formed steel structures is acceptable for buildings up to three stories in low, medium, and high seismic zones, and for buildings up to two stories in very high seismic zones. Overall, this study shows that strap-braced cold-formed steel shear walls have the potential to achieve higher seismic R-values in comparison to design codes.