Structural Performance of Stapled Wood Shear Walls Under Dynamic Cyclic Loads

Wood shear walls are the most common element in the lateral force-resisting system of residential construction. Recent developments have made the use of staples, as a sheathing-to-stud connection, much more feasible and practical. Dynamic cyclic tests of wood shear walls using staples as connectors of sheathing to the studs were performed to determine load and displacement capacities. Enhanced details from standard construction were used to improve the performance of the global system including a double sill plate, a new refined panel corner detail, double staples along blocked edges, and backup bolts for hold-downs. At the strength level, the stapled wood shear walls with enhanced details performed above the International Building Code-IBC (ICC 2006) regarding peak load capacity; however, peak drift capacity was 88% of the specified capacity. The test results were used to determine acceptance criteria, which were compared to the ASCE 41-06 Standard for Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings (ASCE 2007).