AISI publishes three new cold-formed steel framing research reports

Washington, D.C. — The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) published three new cold-formed steel framing research reports:

• RP15-3: Advancing Seismic Simulation of Cold-Formed Steel Framed Buildings;
• RP17-1: Experimental Study on System Reliability of Cold-Formed Steel Roof Trusses; and
• RP17-2: Monotonic and Cyclic Response of Single Shear Cold-Formed Steel-to-Steel and Sheathing-to-Steel Connections.

All of the research reports are available for free download at www.buildusingsteel.org/aisi-design-resources/research-reports.aspx.

Each research project was undertaken to increase knowledge of the behavior of cold-formed steel in order to advance design efficiency and ensure safety. The reports cover the following topics:

RP15-3: Advancing Seismic Simulation of Cold-Formed Steel Framed Buildings — This report advances performance-based seismic design of cold-formed steel framed buildings by introducing computationally efficient and accurate modeling tools that predict the behavior of the building, the individual cold-formed steel components, and connections in a seismic event. The research was conducted at Virginia Tech.

RP17-1: Experimental Study on System Reliability of Cold-Formed Steel Roof Trusses — This experimental study of cold-formed steel roof trusses is part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation, “Advancing System Reliability With Application to Light-Framed Structures.” Test data are provided for examining cold-formed steel structural reliability in roof trusses as a system versus individual components. The research was conducted at the University of North Texas.

RP17-2: Monotonic and Cyclic Response of Single Shear Cold-Formed Steel-to-Steel and Sheathing-to-Steel Connections — This research project resulted in the development of

load-deformation response models to simulate the performance of screw fasteners in a seismic event. Since screw fasteners are the primary connectors in light steel framing, this research provides designers with more accurate performance-based data for conducting whole building seismic analysis. The research was conducted at Virginia Tech.