In order to improve the assembly efficiency and protection performance of traditional cold-formed thin-walled steel composite wall

a steel frame composite wall sheathed with concrete and plasterboard (referred to as “composite wall”) was proposed

where the main skeleton consists of channel-shaped beams framed with cold-formed thin-walled C-steel column

the external wall is cast-in-place concrete panel reinforced with steel mesh

the inner side is covered with plasterboard

and the thermal insulation material is filled inside between the external and internal panels. Four composite walls were tested

and the compression behavior of the walls was studied. The effects of concrete panel and the size and positions of the opening on the bearing capacity of the walls were investigated. The failure modes of walls with different configurations under vertical load were identified. A finite element analysis model of the wall was established

and the factors affecting the structural performance of the wall were analyzed

including the thickness of the concrete panel

the steel reinforcement ratio

the type of inner wallboard

the screw spacing of the wallboard

the strengths of both concrete and steel sections

and the size of the opening. Research results show that compared with the wall which has no external concrete panel

the wall with concrete panel possessed higher vertical bearing capacity

and the openings in the wall such as door and window had greater impact on the bearing capacity of the composite wall. The failure of the wall began with the local buckling of the column on the inner side of the wall

causing the wall to lose stability to the inner side along the connecting line of the buckling parts of each wall column. The reinforcement ratio of concrete panel

the type of wallboard

and the screw spacing had little influence on the vertical bearing capacity of the composite wall. It is suggested that the spacing of steel mesh should be 50 mm and the distance of screws of plasterboard should be 150 mm.