Skip to main content
Log in

Lateral shear performance of sheathed post-and-beam wooden structures with small panels

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sheathed post-and-beam wooden structures are distinct from light-wood structures. They allow for using sheathing panels that are smaller (0.91 m × 1.82 m) than standard-sized panels (1.22 m × 2.44 m or 2.44 m × 2.44 m). Evidence indicates that nail spacing and panel thickness determine the lateral capacity of the wood frame shear walls. To verify the lateral shear performance of wood frame shear walls with smaller panels, we subjected 13 shear walls, measuring 0.91 m in width and 2.925 m in height, to a low-cycle cyclic loading test with three kinds of nail spacing and three panel thicknesses. A nonlinear numerical simulation analysis of the wall was conducted using ABAQUS finite element (FE) software, where a custom nonlinear spring element was used to simulate the sheathing-frame connection. The results indicate that the hysteretic performance of the walls was mainly determined by the hysteretic performance of the sheathing-frame connection. When same nail specifications were adopted, the stiffness and bearing capacity of the walls were inversely related to the nail spacing and directly related to the panel thickness. The shear wall remained in the elastic stage when the drift was 1/250 rad and ductility coefficients were all greater than 2.5, which satisfied the deformation requirements of residential structures. Based on the test and FE analysis results, the shear strength of the post-and-beam wooden structures with sheathed walls was determined.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kawai N. Permissible Stress Method for Wooden Houses Using Post-Beam Construction. 4th ed. Tokyo: Japan Housing and Wood Technology Center, 2008 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Källsner B, Girhammar U A. Plastic models for analysis of fully anchored light-frame timber shear walls. Engineering Structures, 2009, 31(9): 2171–2181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. van de Lindt J W. Evolution of wood shear wall testing, modeling, and reliability analysis: Bibliography. Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, 2004, 9(1): 44–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ugalde D, Almazán J L, Santa María H, Guindos P. Seismic protection technologies for timber structures: A review. European Journal of Wood and Wood Products, 2019, 77(2): 173–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. GB 50005–2017. Standard for Design of Timber Structures. Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press, 2017 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Anderson E N, Leichti R J, Sutt E G, Rosowsky D V. Sheathing nail bending-yield stress: Effect on cyclic performance of wood shear walls. Wood and Fiber Science, 2007, 39(4): 536–547

    Google Scholar 

  7. Demir A, Demirkir C, Aydin I. The effects of wood species, nail size, grain direction and layer numbers on lateral nail strength of structural plywood panels. Sigma Journal of Engineering and Natural Sciences, 2020, 11(2): 141–148

    Google Scholar 

  8. Nishiyama N, Ando N. Analysis of load-slip characteristics of nailed wood joints: Application of a two-dimensional geometric nonlinear analysis. Journal of Wood Science, 2003, 49(6): 505–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Sartori T, Tomasi R. Experimental investigation on sheathing-to-framing connections in wood shear walls. Engineering Structures, 2013, 56: 2197–2205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. ASTM E2126-09. Standard Test Methods for Cyclic (Reversed) Load Test for Shear Resistance of Vertical Elements of the Lateral Force Resisting Systems for Buildings. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM, 2009

    Google Scholar 

  11. ISO 16670. Timber Structure-Joint Made with Mechanical Fasters-Quasi-Static Reversed Cyclic Test Method. Geneva: ISO, 2003

    Google Scholar 

  12. Dean P K, Shenton H W. Experimental investigation of the effect of vertical load on the capacity of wood shear walls. Journal of Structural Engineering, 2005, 131(7): 1104–1113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Guíñez F, Santa María H, Almazán J L. Monotonic and cyclic behaviour of wood frame shear walls for mid-height timber buildings. Engineering Structures, 2019, 189: 100–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Uang C M, Gatto K. Effects of finish materials and dynamic loading on the cyclic response of wood frame shear walls. Journal of Structural Engineering, 2003, 129(10): 1394–1402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ). Standard for Structural Design of Timber Structures. Tokyo: Architectural Institute of Japan, 2006 (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Wu G. Light wood frame construction utilizing small-diameter round timber and investigation of the structural behaviour. Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree. Harbin: Harbin Institute of Technology, 2015 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Folz B, Filiatrault A. Cyclic analysis of wood shear walls. Journal of Structural Engineering, 2001, 127(4): 433–441

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. ASTM D1761–20. Standard Test Methods for Mechanical Fasteners in Wood. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM, 2000

    Google Scholar 

  19. Cheng H, Ni C, Lv X. Performance of perforated wood-frame shear walls with transverse walls and vertical load. China Civil Engineering Journal, 2006, 39(12): 33–47 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Pre-standard and Commentary for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings, FEMA 356. Washington, D.C.: FEMA, 2000

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the National Key R&D Program of China for supporting this study with a research grant (No. 2019YFD1101001).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yifeng Liu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Long, W., Lu, W., Liu, Y. et al. Lateral shear performance of sheathed post-and-beam wooden structures with small panels. Front. Struct. Civ. Eng. 17, 1117–1131 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-023-0939-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-023-0939-0

Keywords

Navigation