Finite element modelling of cold-formed steel wall frames lined with plasterboard

Gypsum plasterboard is a common lining material for steel wall frame systems comprising cold-formed steel studs (unlipped or lipped C-sections). These steel wall frame systems are commonly used as load bearing walls in the residential and commercial building construction. However the design of these wall frames ignores the strengthening effects of plasterboard in carrying axial loads. Therefore a detailed investigation was conducted using finite element analyses and full scale experiments. The finite element model was validated by comparing its results with experimental results. This paper presents the details of the finite element model, the results and comparison with experimental results.