Steel Framing Buildings with Concrete‐Filled Cold‐Formed Steel Studs. Earthquake‐Resistant Capacity

Light gauge steel framing is being increasingly used, mainly for low‐rise buildings. However, for mid‐rise buildings, seismic effects can be highly demanding since the strength of these structures is rather low. In this sense, steel bracing has been proposed to gain more lateral capacity; in the ensuing steel frames, the chord studs are severely loaded, thus limiting the building's seismic capacity (the European design codes state that, to maintain a ductile dissipative behavior, the chord studs must withstand the maximum force that the braces can transmit). In some cases, steel‐only solutions (even built‐up members) might be insufficient for the chord studs; then, this paper investigates the possibility of using concrete‐filled, cold‐formed, built‐up sections. In this context, this research analyses the feasibility of three 5‐, 7‐, and 10‐story representative prototype buildings located in moderate seismicity areas (PGA 0.2 g).