Experimental Testing of Roof to Wall Connections in Wood Frame Houses

摘要

The majority of residential construction in the United States is wood-frame construction. These buildings perform well under gravity loads, but considerable damage has been observed in such structures after significant earthquakes and major hurricanes. This is due to weaknesses inherent in current wood-frame construction and underscores the need for improving the structure performance of typical homes. To enhance the resistance of houses to natural disasters and to reduce the risk to life and property, the behavior of wood-frame buildings subjected to dynamic and lateral loads needs to be better understood. These buildings are typically constructed from diaphragms that are joined by inter-component connections, which can greatly influence the overall behavior of the structure. An understanding of the behavior of each of the structural components and connections is essential to accurately predict the performance of a housing unit under different types of loading.