Parametric Models for Wind Load Resistances of Wood-Frame Walls

Abstract

The progressive failure analysis of wood-frame structures under wind loads requires the resistances of each of the components (such as roof, walls, and connections) as input. The resistance functions should be able to account for the variability in the design parameters, support, and loading conditions. This study provides parametric models to calculate the in-plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OP) wind load resistances of wood-frame walls based on finite element analysis (FEA). The finite element model (FEM) of the walls are validated against experiments from published literature, and the IP and OP failure loads of the walls are determined for different length, height, stud spacing, sheathing nail spacing, sheathing thickness, presence of drywall and opening, and different support conditions. Based on a broad set of data generated by finite element calculations, two parametric models are developed to estimate the IP and OP wind load resistances of the walls by considering all of the variable parameters in this study. The parametric models demonstrate very good agreement with the FEM generated data and the available experimental results and will be useful to facilitate progressive wind failure analysis of wood-frame structures.