Structural Load Paths in Low-rise, Wood-framed Structures
Author | : Peter Leroy Datin |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : |
Release | : 2010 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:741127465 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (65 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: ABSTRACT: Light-framed wood residential buildings continue to suffer damage from extreme wind events, even at wind speeds below design levels. One of the major findings in post-hurricane damage investigations is that a continuous load path to transfer the wind uplifts loads acting on the roof into the foundations was missing. The roof-to-wall connections are major components in this load path that have inadequate capacity during extreme wind events causing catastrophic failure. The objective of this dissertation is the evaluation of the vertical structural load paths due to wind loading on the roof of a low-rise, light-framed wood building. Through the use of static influence coefficients developed on a 1/3rd-scale wood building instrumented at twenty (20) roof-to-wall and wall-to-foundation connections, the vertical structural load paths were determined. Using a database-assisted design (DAD) methodology combining the structural influence coefficients with wind tunnel-derived pressure coefficients, estimated peak structural connection loads were determined. These peak loads were compared with loads estimated from two other previously established methods, namely the covariance integration (CI) and load-response-correlation (LRC) methods.