Numerical Study of the Lateral Response of Precast Composite Wall Systems

A novel, light gauge steel stud-thin shell precast concrete panel system was developed to serve as a vertical wall panel element to resist vertical and out-of-plane horizontal loads. The behavior and capacity of this system to sustain in-plane lateral loads arising from wind and earthquake actions are currently not understood. The focus of this research is to assess the performance of such a system when subjected to lateral loading. Two-dimensional monotonic and reverse cyclic nonlinear finite element analyses of the Thin Shell Precast (TSP) panel was conducted using Program VecTor2. The analyses evaluated the effect of various components of the system including the type and size of the internal reinforcing bars and the influence of the exterior light-gauge steel framing. The modelling also shed light on the effect of reinforcement bonding and the difference in response between squat and slender wall systems. Through the nonlinear modelling, lateral load-displacement (drift) responses were generated for monotonic and reverse cyclic motions, in addition to quantifying the yield and ultimate loads and corresponding displacements (drifts). Preliminary analyses were used to modify the design of the Thin Shell Panel to achieve an improved lateral response.