Modeling and design of explosion-resistant steel stud wall systems

Abstract

The need to protect structures, and the people inside these structures, has led to the Army Corps of Engineers developing blast design criteria for buildings. It is critical to know how a structure will behave under a given explosion and design wall systems to resist this type of load by developing adequate design criteria. To predict the dynamic behavior of steel stud wall systems using dynamic modeling, a valid static resistance function for cold-formed steel studs must be developed. In conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Missouri-Columbia has been conducting experimental tests to define the entire static resistance function to failure for different wall systems. The key to utilizing steel studs in a blast resistant wall system is by properly anchoring the steel studs to the structure to achieve cross-sectional failure of the stud in tension, as opposed to connection failure. Utilizing the steels stud strength and ductility allows for significant energy-absorbing capabilities important in blast resistance. A modeling program has been developed to predict the dynamic response of cold-formed steel stud wall systems. Following details and discussion of testing procedures, experimental data for different steel stud wall systems is presented along with comparisons to the current modeling predictions.