Light gauge steel moment frame wall assembly with shear panel

Abstract

A moment frame wall assembly includes a box wall frame having first and second columns spaced apart from one another and header and sill beams extending between the first and second columns. The beams are joined to the respective columns by respective beam-to-column joints. Each of the beam-to-column joints includes a yielding member that fails prior to failure of the respective beam and column joined by the respective beam-to-column joint due to external lateral forces applied to the moment frame wall assembly. The assembly includes a shear panel made of sheet metal. The shear panel has an upper edge margin attached to the header beam, a lower edge margin attached to the sill beam, a first side edge margin attached to the first column, and a second side edge margin attached to the second column. The shear panel resists the external lateral forces applied to the moment frame wall assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A moment frame wall assembly comprising:
 a box wall frame including:
 first and second columns spaced apart from one another; 
 a header beam extending between the first and second columns, the header beam being joined to the first column by a beam-to-column joint and being joined to the second column by another beam-to-column joint; and 
 a sill beam extending between the first and second columns, the sill beam being joined to the first column by another beam-to-column joint and being joined to the second column by another beam-to-column joint; 
 each of the beam-to-column joints including a yielding member configured to fail prior to failure of the respective beam and column joined by the respective beam-to-column joint due to external lateral forces applied to the moment frame wall assembly; and 
   a shear panel made of sheet metal, the shear panel having an upper edge margin attached to the header beam, a lower edge margin attached to the sill beam, a first side edge margin attached to the first column, and a second side edge margin attached to the second column, the shear panel being configured to resist the external lateral forces applied to the moment frame wall assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shear panel is configured to yield with the yielding members of the beam-to-column joints so that the shear panel and the yielding members of the beam-to-column joints work simultaneously to resist the external lateral forces applied to the moment frame wall assembly. 
     
     
         3 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each yielding member of the beam-to-column joints comprises a sheet metal panel. 
     
     
         4 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the sheet metal panel of the shear panel has a thickness less than or equal to a thickness of the sheet metal panel of the yielding members. 
     
     
         5 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the thickness of the sheet metal panel of the shear panel is 22 gauge. 
     
     
         6 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1  wherein the shear panel includes opposite major surfaces and edges extending between the opposite major surfaces, the major surfaces of the shear panel extending between the header beam and the sill beam, and between the first and second columns. 
     
     
         7 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shear panel is configured to yield with at least some of the yielding members of the beam-to-column joints. 
     
     
         8 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first elongate member extending along the header beam and forcing the upper edge margin of the shear panel against the header beam;   a second elongate member extending along the sill beam and forcing the lower edge margin of the shear panel against the sill beam;   a third elongate member extending along the first column and forcing the first side edge margin of the shear panel against the first column; and   a fourth elongate member extending along the second column and forcing the second side edge margin of the shear panel against the second column.   
     
     
         9 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the shear panel includes a shear wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall;   the shear wall of the shear panel overlapping and engaging a generally vertical face of the first elongate member, a generally vertical face of the second elongate member, a first generally vertical face of the third elongate member, and a first generally vertical face of the fourth elongate member;   the top wall of the shear panel overlaps and engages a generally horizontal face of the first elongate member;   the bottom wall of the shear panel overlaps and engages a generally horizontal face of the second elongate member;   the first side wall of the shear panel overlaps and engages a second generally vertical face of the third elongate member; and   the second side wall of the shear panel overlaps and engages a second generally vertical face of the fourth elongate member.   
     
     
         10 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first series of fasteners attaching the upper edge margin of the shear panel to the header beam;   a second series of fasteners attaching the lower edge margin of the shear panel to the sill beam;   a third series of fasteners attaching the first side edge margin of the shear panel to the first column; and   a fourth series of fasteners attaching the second side edge margin of the shear panel to the second column.   
     
     
         11 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the first series of fasteners is spaced apart from a first interior corner formed by the first column and the header beam and is spaced apart from a second interior corner formed by the second column and the header beam;   the second series of fasteners is spaced apart from a third interior corner formed by the first column and the sill beam and is spaced apart from a fourth interior corner formed by the second column and the sill beam;   the third series of fasteners is spaced apart from the first interior corner and is spaced apart from the third interior corner; and   the fourth series of fasteners is spaced apart from the second interior corner and is spaced apart from the fourth interior corner.   
     
     
         12 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the header beam includes a stiffener and the sill beam includes a stiffener, the first series of fasteners extending through the stiffener of the header beam, and the second series of fasteners extending through the stiffener of the sill beam. 
     
     
         13 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first column includes a first face facing in a direction that is parallel to a length of the box wall frame, the second column includes a second face facing in a direction that is parallel to the length of the box wall frame, the header beam includes a header face facing in a direction that is parallel to a height of the box wall frame, and the sill beam includes a sill face facing in a direction that is parallel to the height of the box wall frame; and
 wherein the shear panel overlaps and engages the first face of the first column, the second face of the second column, the header face of the header beam, and the sill face of the sill beam.   
     
     
         14 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the first column includes a first stiffener forming the first face, the second column includes a second stiffener forming the second face, the header beam includes a third stiffener forming the header face, and the sill beam includes a fourth stiffener forming the sill face. 
     
     
         15 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shear panel comprises an integral, one-piece sheet metal panel, the one-piece sheet metal panel forming the upper edge margin attached to the header beam, the lower edge margin attached to the sill beam, the first side edge margin attached to the first column, and the second side edge margin attached to the second column. 
     
     
         16 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the shear panel comprises a first sheet metal panel and a second sheet metal panel, the first and second sheet metal panels arranged side-by-side and attached to one another. 
     
     
         17 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the first sheet metal panel forms the first side edge margin attached to the first column, a portion of the upper edge margin attached to the header beam, and a portion of the lower edge margin attached to the sill beam, and wherein the second sheet metal panel forms another portion of the upper edge margin attached to the header beam and another portion of the lower edge margin attached to the sill beam. 
     
     
         18 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the second sheet metal panel forms the second side edge margin attached to the second column. 
     
     
         19 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 18 , further comprising first and second studs extending between the header and sill beams, the first and second sheet metal panels having portions sandwiched between the first and second studs. 
     
     
         20 . The moment frame wall assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each yielding member of the beam-to-column joints constitutes a portion of either the header beam or the sill beam.