Out-of-Plane Seismic Performance of Plasterboard Partition Walls via Quasi-Static Tests

Internal partitions, as many nonstructural components, should be subjected to a careful and rational seismic design, as for structural elements. A quasi - static test campaign aimed at the evaluation of the out - of - plane seismic performance of Siniat plasterboard internal partitions with steel stud s is conducted according to FEMA 461 testing protocol . Four tall, i.e. 5 m high, specimens are selected from the range of internal partition developed in Europe by Siniat , a leading supplier of plasterboard components in Europe . Under the specified testing protocol, a significant nonlinear pinched behavior of the tested specimen is observed . The pinch ed beha vior is caused by the damage in the screwed connections, whose cyclic behavior is strongly degrading. Both stiffness and strength of the specimens are significantly influenced by the board typology and the amount of screwed connection s . Finally, it is concluded that Eurocode s significantly underestimate the resisting bending moment of the tested specimens.