Incorporating Load Sharing in Shear Wall Design of Light‐Frame Structures

Abstract

A three‐dimensional nonlinear finite element model of a light‐frame wood building was created and used to determine internal forces caused by wind pressure in shear walls. Comparing the results with current design procedures led to two fundamental observations: (1) The assumption of current procedures that one‐half of the load is transferred directly to the foundation is correct; (2) calculating internal forces in the shear walls by simple‐ and continuous‐beam models does not reflect the real situation and may lead to erroneous results. Linear and nonlinear models assuming the roof diaphragm as a rigid beam on elastic supports were proposed, analyzed, and compared with the finite element solution of an experimentally verified model. Satisfactory accuracy can be achieved by using the rigid‐beam analogy if the shear stiffness of the walls is known.