Behavior of wall panels in industrial buildings caused by differential settlements

This paper presents the analysis of mechanical behavior of metal wall panels of storehouses and industrial buildings subjected to differential settlements. The storehouses considered are representative of those used in the agricultural activity. A small-scale model was built and tested in order to have evidence of the behavior and to validate computational models. The numerical investigation is carried out through finite element analysis using a general-purpose software, by modeling buildings with different geometries and evaluating different settlements of the ground. To obtain an adequate model, geometric non-linearity has to be taken into account. Models that represent the most usual geometric typologies were investigated under support settlements. The deflected shape of the wall panel and the relationship between the horizontal displacements and the settlement of the foundations are evaluated. The results show that there are large out-of-plane displacements caused by settlements that would be admitted by design recommendations.