Static and cyclic racking performance of autoclaved aerated concrete cladding panels

Laboratory experiments subjected full-scale autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) cladding panel specimens to static monotonic loading and incrementally increased displacement amplitudes of cyclic racking movements. The objective of the study was to characterize the seismic performance of cladding panel walls made up of the newly introduced AAC in the U.S. market. The study found that conventional connectors used to attach AAC cladding panels to structural systems have not been designed for in-plane seismic resistance and would need to be redesigned in order to safely satisfy building code's allowable drift.