Wind Protection Tie-Downs for Manufactured Homes

Abstract

Past experience has shown that manufactured homes are susceptible to high wind forces. Because of the typical “temporary” nature of their foundation system, the foundation design must provide adequate resistance to prevent overturning of a manufactured home due to lateral loads. A generally accepted system of piers for vertical load support and metal strapping and soil anchors with stabilizer plates for lateral load resistance are typically used as the foundation system. Several organizations and code bodies have specified the lateral load-resistance requirements of the lateral load-resisting tie-down anchors. Tests have shown that anchors typically used to tie down manufactured homes do not achieve the desired resistance. The specified lateral load resistance can be met if there is a proper understanding of the overall behavior of an anchor embedded in a particular soil. This paper reviews the existing standards and discusses the behavior of soil anchors subjected to axial and shear loads.