Experimental and numerical investigation of cold-form steel wall frame panels with plasterboards under flexural loading

The structural behaviour of the cold-formed steel (CFS) wall panels under flexural loading is normally characterised by buckling modes, deflection, flexural stiffness. This research mainly investigates these fundamental behaviours of CFS wall panels at elastic limits where four-point bending loading has been incorporated into the panels. The paper presents the results of the experimental and numerical studies of the composite CFS wall panels. Three specimens are tested, and then the finite element (FE) model has been developed and validated by comparing its results with test data. A parametric study has been conducted to investigate the composite behaviour of CFS wall panels with different combinations of CFS studs and gypsum plasterboards. The test and FE model results demonstrate that back-to-back CFS studs can be used to overcome the buckling problem for light load-bearing wall panels due to their higher rigidity. It is found that stud types and gypsum plasterboard have a significant influence on the elastic behaviour and failure modes of the CFS wall panels.