How Do Shear Walls Work

How do shear walls work?

How Do Shear Walls Work. A shear wall is a structural component often provided to multistoreyed or tall buildings or buildings in areas of high wind velocity or seismic activity. Shear wall is a structural member used to resist lateral forces, i.e., parallel to the plane of the wall.

When designing light wood-frame shear walls with openings ...
When designing light wood-frame shear walls with openings ... from www.woodworks.org
Plywood shear walls consist of: Introduction understanding shear walls • shear walls are vertical elements of the horizontal force resisting system • reinforced concrete (rc). A shear wall generally means a wall intended to resist the racking loads applied by wind or seismic events.

The spreadsheet is written in excel version 2010 for windows, but might work with other platforms.

These structural units will transfer the lateral forces created due to the wind and seismic forces to the diaphragm located below or to the foundation. The word intended is key because while when engineers design buildings, they determine how lateral loads will be distributed and ensure that shear walls are located strategically to resist. Such a wall acts as a beam cantilevered out of the foundation, and, just as with a beam, part of its strength derives from its depth. Make sure to put on your protective equipment because you will be working with steel and it can be dangerous.