Influence of Doors on the In-Plane Seismic Behavior of Partition Walls

Doors and other openings inevitably change the internal force distribution in cold-formed steel-framed gypsum partition walls (hereafter referred to as partition walls) subjected to lateral loading, which affects their seismic behavior. Some studies have evaluated the seismic behavior of partition walls with and without doors, along with other variables, through experiments. Still, research on damage mechanisms remains preliminary, with only qualitative discussions. Existing numerical models of doorless partition walls limit the simulation of partition walls with doors. Therefore, this study examines the influence of doors on the in-plane seismic behavior of partition walls. Quasi-static full-scale tests of partition walls with and without doors are conducted to evaluate the influence of a door alone and to display the deformation and stiffness associated with the door. The damage mechanism encompassing rigid-body motions and deformations is quantitatively evaluated using data from potentiometers and an image-based displacement measurement system. Parametric analysis is performed for a validated numerical model of the partition wall considering the door construction and detailing. The results enable the industry to improve the seismic behavior of partition walls with doors.