Whole building testing and modeling for improved design of light-frame buildings

Abstract

Abstact Simplifying assumptions in the analysis and design of light-frame wood buildings can result in either uneconomical or unsafe structures. This paper describes the development of improved tools for performance analysis of light-frame buildings under wind and earthquake loads that can be used to improve current design procedures. We present herein the details and preliminary test results of a full-scale one-story house tested under static cyclic loading. The irregularly shaped house is being used to experimentally validate a three-dimensional Finite Element (FE) model of the house. Once validated, the whole building FE model will be used to develop improved design procedures that take i..