Virtual Testing of Strong Wood Light-Frame Shear Walls under Monotonic and Cyclic Loads: Model Development, Validation, and Parametric Studies

There is a growing demand for strong wood light-frame shear wall systems in mid-rise buildings, particularly in high-seismic zones. The best performance of these walls is achieved when most of the energy is dissipated through shear deformation in the sheathing-to-framing connectors (nails), while the framing and anchorage systems remain within their elastic regime. This study presents a numerical methodology for virtual characterization and analysis of strong wood light-frame shear walls subjected to large monotonic and cyclical loads, utilizing a 3D finite element (FE) model in the ABAQUS software. The accuracy of the predictions for both the nail connectors and the wall assembly is validated by comparing them with experimental data from the literature. The results indicate that a discrete hold-down system can overstress the end studs, increasing the risk of wood crushing. Furthermore, it is shown that optimizing the elastic properties and thickness of oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing panels can significantly improve the performance of wood light-frame shear walls without increasing the number of the nails.