Development of test method for determining plasterboard bracing performance

Abstract

The Australian Residential Timber-Framed Construction standard (AS1684:1999) has recently been revised to explicitly define the bracing contribution of nominally fixed plasterboard clad walls as 0.45 kN/m for cladding on one side and 0.75 kN/m for cladding on two sides. These values clarify the allowance, which designers may rely upon for the presence of plasterboard and their inclusion in the standard infers a necessity for plasterboard products to at least meet these requirements. A review of the relevant Australian, ISO, and ASTM standards, as well as plasterboard manufacturers' in-house quality control tests has established that these tests mainly focus on serviceability aspect of plaste..