Numerical investigations of the connections between cold-formed steel curtain walls and reinforced concrete slabs

Abstract

Cold-formed steel curtain wall is a very practical way to protect building from variety of external impacts, such as wind, seismic load, rain, temperature difference etc. This paper is focused on structural aspects of the curtain wall design, specifically on the design of the bolted connections between cold formed steel and concrete slab. External walls of high-rise buildings are subjected to significant wind and ice loads. The paper is based on the experimental and numerical research of the connections. It is important to design connections, which would not perform as thermal bridges. Methods of curtain walls installation are also considered in this paper.