The American Iron and Steel Institute announced that its Seismic Code Team will partner with the Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Texas on two research projects that will advance the seismic design of cold-formed steel for light-frame construction. 

The American Iron and Steel Institute announced that its Seismic Code Team will partner with the Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Texas on two research projects that will advance the seismic design of cold-formed steel for light-frame construction. The projects have received grants from the National Science Foundation. The research results will advance the use of cold-formed steel in high seismic areas.

Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., P.E., chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University and long-time member of the AISI Committee on Specifications and Committee on Framing Standards, was awarded an NSF grant in the amount of $923,000 to study ways to improve the seismic performance of buildings that use CFS light-frame construction for their primary structure. He will lead a research team from JHU, Bucknell University, and Devco Engineering that will develop computational models to determine how a complete building structure will perform during an earthquake.

Cheng Yu, Ph.D., assistant professor and coordinator of the Construction Engineering Technology Program at the University of North Texas, was awarded an NSF Career grant in the amount of $400,010 to provide “Comprehensive Research on Cold-Formed Steel Sheathed Shear Walls: Special Detailing, Design and Innovation.” He will lead a research team in the development of advanced designs of high-performance shear wall systems with enhanced ductility and strength for low-cost building constructions in high seismic and high wind areas.