Cold-formed steel-wall construction is a versatile and affordable technology used extensively as the gravity- and lateral-load-resisting structural system for low-rise construction. Structural design guidance for cold-formed steel members was first published in 1946, but in the 1990s the Corps of Engineers imposed a moratorium on its own use of these systems after identifying detailing and construction practices that would prevent adequate ductile performance under seismic loading. At that time, the Corps initiated the first of several applied engineering and basic research studies to investigate light-gage steel design and construction methods that provide the required ductility while conforming with applicable steel-industry specifications. That research produced design guidelines that enabled the Corps to lift its moratorium, including two updates incorporating the results of follow-on studies.This technical report, prepared with funding support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, compiles for the first time the complete results of three Army Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation studies on cold-formed steel design and validation. The report includes detailed, updated design recommendations for ductile structural performance in seismic events and a sample design problem to illustrate application of the recommendations.
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