Buckling of Sheathed Walls: Nonlinear Analysis

Abstract

A nonlinear theory for analyzing the buckling behavior of sheathed walls is presented. The theory predicts that the reversal of lateral deflection occurs when the load is applied near the compression center of the wall. This phenomenon is due to the movement of the compression center caused by the nonlinear joint stiffness. Tests are conducted to verify the theory. A good agreement between test results and theoretical results is seen. The resulting difference between the nonlinear theory and the linear theory presented in a previous paper by the author is investigated. The linear theory is found to approximately predict the wall buckling at low values of nail slip and loads until the wall reaches buckling loads. Because of the partial composite action, the sheathed walls have a higher maximum load than unsheathed walls as long as the load is applied at the same position.