Design and assessment of frameless system for seismic applications

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Frameless system is a solution for long-span low-rise steel structures that consists of engineered cold-formed steel corrugated panels, thus eliminating the need for additional seismic force resisting system. The corrugated panels (such as the wall, ceiling and roof elements) are fabricated off-site, shipped to site and assembled. This makes Frameless system one of the most efficient solutions for commercial and industrial constructions, where short erection time is required. With these advantages, Frameless system have gained steady market shares in Canada and worldwide. Frameless system is currently used for a variety of applications, such as industrial, recreational and commercial usages. Frameless system is a product of Behlen Industries, Canada's largest manufacturer of steel building systems. Behlen has over 40 years of history manufacturing steel building systems and investing heavily in engineering technology, fabrication concepts, structural improvements, and building quality. As a result, Frameless systems today are far better in terms of cost, strength, function, and aesthetics. Through these innovations, Behlen has moved the Frameless system to a higher level and help to position the long-term growth and greater acceptance in Canada and worldwide. However, there is a gap of knowledge to confirm the applicability of using Frameless system as a seismic force resisting system. Currently, the seismic design practice for the Frameless system uses a force-based approach, where Frameless system is designed as conventional construction. There are no registers of Frameless system in previous seismic events and no test data in terms of cyclic response. This research proposal is targeted to investigate the seismic performance of Frameless system. A robust methodology involving a thorough experimental and analytical program is proposed to be executed at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Structural Engineering Laboratory. In this research, the Frameless system will be systematically examined from the material level to cross section level, eventually from the element and system level. Once the experimental and analytical programs have been completed, detailed design methods for the Frameless system will be developed accordance with current Canadian codes. Hence, the Frameless system can be used as a pre-qualified seismic force resisting system in Canada. This will ensure a more robust, economical and reliable seismic force resisting system to be used in high seismic regions in Canada and worldwide.