Numerical modelling of lightweight steel drywall facades for in-plane seismic performance evaluations

A lightweight steel drywall facade (LWS) is one of the most widely used architectural non-structural components of a building. To account for their effect on the structural performance of buildings, simplified numerical models are proposed to simulate their in-plane response. The model can be easily integrated with building models and, when linked to information about their fragility, allows better estimation of damages in them. Models are calibrated exper-imentally using quasi-static cyclic test results obtained from recent research at the University of Naples "Federico II". Using OpenSees software, models are developed by utilizing a discre-tized spring to simulate the lumped behavior of the walls for each of the eight different con-figurations of the tested façades. A comparison of the experimental and numerical results based on the hysteretic response curves and the cumulative energy dissipated demonstrates the accuracy of the model.