Full-scale experimental evaluation of a panelized brick veneer wall system under simulated wind loading

Brick veneer over steel stud backup wall is lighter and easier to construct compared to brick veneer over concrete masonry backup wall. However, due to the relatively low stiffness of the steel stud backup, the brick veneer tends to crack under wind load. This paper briefly introduces a new panelized brick veneer with steel frame backup wall system that is developed to potentially address this problem. The experimental study of the performance of this system under simulated wind loading is discussed in detail. The test setup details and the test specimens are introduced, results of major interests are presented, and performance of the new system is evaluated based on the test results.