Light-frame timber shear-walls with diagonal board sheathing: experimental and numerical investigation

The lateral stability of Light-frame timber (LFT) shear-walls is typically ensured by the nailed connection between the wooden frame elements and the sheathing wooden panels, e.g. Oriented Strain Boards (OSB), whereas hold-downs and angle brackets are typically adopted to limit the rigid body rotation and sliding of shear-walls. A valuable alternative to wooden panels in the sheathing of LFT shear-walls is given by diagonal boards. Wooden boards are typically 45° inclined and fastened to frame members, on one or both sides, by means of nails. This paper presents a numerical and experimental study of LFT shear-walls with diagonal board sheathing through extensive experimental campaign and finite element modelling. Monotonic tests were performed on six full-scale LFT shear-walls whereas monotonic shear tests were conducted at connection level to determine the mechanical properties of sheathing-to-framing nailed connections. The results showed that shear-walls sheathed on two sides, with boards which are 90° oriented one to the other, are characterized by significant in-plane shear resistance and can be considered as a feasible alternative to traditional LTF with wooden sheathing panels.