Analysis of Composite Timber Studs

The National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS) outlines different factors and equations necessary for designing structures exploiting timber. While analyzing a timber shear wall there are several specific equations and restraints that the design must satisfy. These limitations come from not only the NDS, but also the Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE7), the Florida Building Code (FBC), and the International Residential Code (IRC). ASCE7, paired with the NDS, provide a standard design methodology. The FBC and IRC focus their framework around the minimum requirements. These manuals focus on the design strength of the individual components, rather than how they react once affixed to one another. The sheathing is the foremost structural component which combats against the wind loads. Several different types of sheathing, as well as nail sizes and patterns were analyzed as a connected structure. The methodology used was similar to that of reinforced concrete, in that the properties of the nails and sheathing were transformed into that of the sawn lumber stud. This facilitated an analytical comparison between the standard design method and that of a "composite I-beam". Increases and decreases in strength were found, due to the complexity of the design equations, the addition of the sheathing component did not always enable a higher wall capacity. Deflection as the ultimate failure of the member still rang true for the new method of design.