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Abstract
The slip-track connection is one of the most commonly used connections when designing curtain wall systems. There is little guidance in the American Iron and Steel Institutes’ [AISI] North American Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members [2001]. This paper presents the nominal capacities for a slip-track connection as well as the effective distribution width of the track. Several methods of analysis were reviewed along with an example of each method. A parametric study of the slip-track connection was conducted as well as finite element modeling. A total of 108 test specimens were tested in different combinations with stud widths of 1 5/8″ and 2 1/2″. The specimens had a stud spacing of 16″ and 24″, a gap between the web of the track and the top of the stud of 1/2″ and 1″, and track thickness varying from 14, 16, to 18 gage. Seventy-two test specimens were tested in combinations with varying stud widths, stud spacing, and track thickness. Thirty-six test specimens were tested with alternate fastener spacing. These tests yielded higher failure loads, and for the sake of being conservative, only the tests with the fasteners located at the stud location are used in determining the nominal capacity. Finite element analysis was completed following the tests. A stud spacing of 24 inches was analyzed, with a stud flange of 1 5/8″, a slip gap of 1/2″, and track thickness of 18, 16, and 14 gages. Proposed design procedures based on the results of this project are provided.