The panels were mounted in a horizontal position and subjected to a uniformly distributed load along the length of both stud members. The deflection was measured at the mid-span along the centreline of both studs as the load was applied. The objective of the testing program was to subject the wall panel to an increasing uniform lateral load, record the resulting deflection, and determine at what deflection a
visible crack would appear in the mid-span taped joint. The tests were not intended for the purposes of establishing the load carrying capabilities of the panel.
Panel Specimen Construction
All stud and track products were supplied by a CSSBI fabricator member and complied with the
requirements of the CGSB Standard CAN/CGSB-7.1-98 Lightweight Steel Wall Framing Components. The steel members were 1-5/8” deep sections with a nominal base steel thickness of 0.018”. All studs had standard pre-punched holes at 20” centre-to-centre. Stud-to-track connections were made with #6 - 7/16” sharp point pan head framing screws, 2 screws per connection.
The gypsum board was plain ½” thick board purchased from a local distributor. The gypsum board was fastened to the steel studs using 1-1/4” bugle head type drywall screws. The spacing of the screws conformed to the National Building Code of Canada section 9.29.5.9. The joint compound was a “ ready-mixed” all purpose product that was purchased along with the tape from a local distributor. The taped joint and screw heads were finished (taped filled and sanded) following industry standard practices and the manufacturer’s recommendations. The finished surface was left unpainted so that any cracks would be more visible.
Test Results and Conclusions
Shown in Figure 1 are the load versus deflection plots were for each test. All 8 specimens behaved in a similar manner during the test, and all deflected up to an L/120 limit without any visible sign of a crack at the taped joint. This test program demonstrates that cracking of the taped joint need not be a concern when selecting stud sizes based on a deflection limit of as much as L/120.
Figure 1: Load versus Deflection Curves
2
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