History of Cold-Formed Steel Framing Used as a Backing for Brick Veneer

The last 50 years have seen many changes in the design and installation of the typical anchored brick veneer/cold-formed steel framing wall assembly. During that time, many groups have published and revised their design guidelines and recommendations for such assemblies. An extensive amount of testing and research has been undertaken to better understand different aspects of the assembly. This paper outlines the history of anchored brick veneer/cold-formed steel framing by specifically reviewing the testing and research conducted, the technical papers developed, and the changes in industry guidelines. Changes in wind load provisions during this period are also reviewed. This information serves as the background for the paper, "Addressing Maximum Design Deflection for Cold-Formed Steel Framing When Used as a Backing for Brick Veneer," which presents a revised approach for determining maximum deflection for cold-formed steel framing supporting brick veneer.