ABSTRACT
An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the lateral load capacity of the industry standard stud-to-track connection used in wind load bearing cold-formed steel stud walls in the United States. This connection, the screw-attached stud to track connection, was investigated to gain an understanding of its behavior and to develop appropriate design guidelines. As a result of the investigation, the current design requirements were found to be conservative in predicting the lateral load capacity of the connection for which design is typically governed by the web crippling capacity of the stud. Test results allowed for the formulation of modifications to the existing design equations to better calculate the stud end support capacity.
