Seismic Laboratory Testing of Energy-Efficient, Staggered-Stud, Wood-Frame Shear Walls
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 3
Abstract
Residential energy use is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Reducing energy efficiency in conventional wood-framed houses are thermal bridges: direct paths that allow heat to flow through the studs instead of the insulation. One suggestion for reducing thermal bridging is the staggered stud (SS) wall. SS walls use bottom and top plates with studs alternating between sides of the wall. This allows sheathing to be applied to both sides while eliminating thermal bridges. A literature review has revealed a lack of laboratory test data for SS walls used as shear walls, raising concerns about their safety. The objective of this study was to evaluate the seismic performance of typical SS walls and compare their behavior to similar conventional walls. Monotonic and cyclic laboratory tests were conducted with and without gypsum wallboard. The staggered stud specimens performed similarly to conventional walls. Some minor differences were identified, but the data raised no immediate concerns about the use of SS walls as an energy efficient option in areas of seismic hazard.
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Acknowledgments
Seneca Sawmill donated the lumber used in this study. Their generous support is gratefully acknowledged. The remainder of the work was supported financially by a grant from the general research fund from the Research Office at Oregon State University. Two individuals were invaluable to this study. Milo Clauson was responsible for setup, testing, and data acquisition. Jason Kelley conducted pilot testing, created the fixture that was used to build test specimens, and provided insight during the project.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 3 • March 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 30, 2012
Accepted: Jun 13, 2013
Published online: Jun 15, 2013
Discussion open until: Aug 10, 2014
Published in print: Mar 1, 2015
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