Numerical Evaluation of the Effect of Gypsum Panels as Infill Walls in Reinforced Concrete Frame Structures

Abstract

Gypsum is an abundant and environmentally friendly material which has been increasingly used in the construction industry for non-structural purposes such as partition walls and ceiling systems. Traditional infill/partition walls are commonly constructed with bricks or concrete blocks, which result in somewhat stiff partition walls. The brick/block walls are often damaged by seismic events, and in some cases they even collapse, which causes life and economic losses. Gypsum board panel partition walls generally come at an initial higher cost, but also have some advantages, such as good thermal and acoustic insulation, fire resistance, lightness and ease of assembly. The structural be-havior of gypsum board panel partition walls has not been investigated though. They are expected to have a somewhat positive impact or a lesser negative impact on structures during earthquakes, due to their lightness. This paper aimed to initiate a discussion on this topic by assessing the contribu-tion of the gypsum partition walls to the structural response of RC structures. This was done by evaluating five wall material/modeling scenarios and comparing the results. Two of the scenarios used brick walls, once modeled as loads and once modeled as compression struts. The rest of the scenarios used gypsum walls once modeled as loads and then as compression struts of different widths. The results of the study indicate that the contribution of gypsum walls to the structural behavior of RC frames is insignificant and can be safely neglected during the structural design process.