Evaluation of hybrid anchor system for blast resistant steel stud wall design

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Steel stud wall systems are a common building material known for their low cost and ease of construction. However, standard building practices cause them to be inefficient with respect to explosive resistant design. Poorly designed anchor systems causes steel stud walls to achieve only a fraction of their potential during blast loading. The University of Missouri is researching new methods for anchoring infill steel stud walls to a building frame or floor slabs to protect occupants during an explosion. By combining the high ductility of bearing connections with the high strength of pin connections, a hybrid connection has the potential to greatly improve the dynamic response of steel stud walls. This research focused on creating an analytical model to predict the behavior of a steel stud wall utilizing hybrid connections. The model was verified by testing sample walls in a quasi-static loading tree. Resistance functions generated from the analytical model were incorporated into SSWAC to predict a wall system's dynamic response to any blast scenario. The analytical model predicts the response of a steel stud wall in four distinct phases; elastic bending, plastic bending, elastic tension, and bearing. The analytical model was proven to closely predict the experimental resistance functions for all regions of the walls response. This document concentrates on the design and verification of an analytical model to predict wall behavior. It covers all assumptions and calculations used to predict behavior. It also covers all methods for construction and testing of walls for validation.