Experimental investigation and modeling of boundary influences on in-plane seismic performance of partition walls

The in-plane seismic performance of cold-formed steel-framed gypsum partition walls (hereinafter referred to as partition walls) varies with boundaries provided by surrounding members, causing differences in repair time. The studies that explicitly consider the influence of boundary members are limited and remain at the preliminary stage of qualitative analysis. Most existing numerical models used for partition walls also lack the simulation of boundaries. Our study focuses on the influence of vertical boundaries on the seismic performance of partition walls. The damage locations of partition walls with different vertical boundaries were recorded during quasi-static tests, and the repair time was evaluated. Data collected by potentiometers and an image-based displacement measurement system quantifies the influence of boundaries on the rigid body motion and deformation in a mechanism. A numerical model incorporating boundaries based on the damage and mechanism was proposed and validated to predict the repair time. The presented results provide a potential solution for improved detailing with consideration on repair.