Internal walls are required primarily to provide good acoustic insulation and fire resistance between occupancies. A composite steel-gypsum wall element was developed and tested structurally and acoustically. Different forms of ribbed and perforated steel sheets were tested.
A special stud system was also developed with improved acoustic insulation properties due to
its shape. Tests were carried out with different board materials. Structural tests demonstrated
the stabilising effect of the boards. Fire tests showed the temperature distribution in the studs
and its fire resistance time.

Design recommendations are given for these new products, based on the tests presented in this
section.                                                                                                                                                             This document is excerpted from the report on the ECSC STEEL RTD PROGRAMME, Development of Dry Composite Construction Systems Based on Steel in Residential Applications, a project carried out with a financial grant of the European Coal and Steel Community.

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