ABSTRACT
However, a small number of researches have been carried out on the unsheathed wall frames and with perforated studs. Miller & Pekoz (1993) conducted experimental test on 24 cold-formed wall frame assemblies without sheathing to investigate the structural behavior including the effect of bracing elements. The wall frames assemblies were found to fail by torsional-flexural which is the same as predicted by AISI 1986 Specification for wall frames without sheathing. The strap bracing and channel bracing used were effective in increasing the failure load up to 60%. As for the wall studs with perforations at the web, it is reported that the local and distortional buckling strength of the sections were reduced because of the availability of the perforations (Kesti & Davies, 1999).
