SR273 The bracing performance of long plasterboard-lined walls (2012)

This project investigated the bracing performance of long plasterboard walls and compared this with predictions of bracing strength from published unit bracing ratings established in P21 testing.

Racking tests were performed on a small building in which the horizontal bracing in one direction was provided by a 2.4 m and 3.6 m long plasterboard wall on each of the two exterior walls. The test building had been constructed for another project involving bracing tests, but before demolition, the building frame was modified for use in this project.

Theoretical calculation and racking test results showed a brittle response for long but isolated bracing walls. However, experimental tests of long walls when incorporated in a building with trims such as scotias and skirtings showed they had a more ductile response, with a strength approximately twice that of combined isolated walls of the same total length.