In-House Publications

2020

Test Setup Development for Lateral Loading Experiment of Light-Frame Wood Shearwall

Abstract

This report offers requirements and recommendations for developing a standardized test setup for static and cyclic (reversed) load conditions on shear walls of light-frame structures. The emphasis is on the development of a test setup that complies with the requirements prescribed in ASTM standards [1]–[3] for evaluating the shear capacity of a typical section of a framed wall, supported on a rigid foundation and having load applied in the plane of the wall along the edge opposite the rigid support and a direction parallel to it. The objective is to provide detailed requirements for parts of the test setup to achieve the standardized determination of shear stiffness and strength of any structural light-frame wall configuration used as a shear-wall on a rigid support. Recommendations are also made on specimen fabrication, testing procedures, specimen instrumentation, and preliminary test results documentation.

Authors: Brian Montgomery, Dr. Bilal Alhawamdeh, Ondrej Pekarovic