×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

(OP)
When designing a residential garage there is usually an issue with the front wall (the one with the garage doors) being able to resist the lateral wind loading. Depending on the situation this is taken care of with either a wooden shear wall design or steel moment frame design. I would like to know if anyone combines the effect of both? Basically if a wood shear wall has an aspect ratio that is to small to be a shear wall or if the wall is just not strong enough to be a shear wall, is there anyway you can combine its effects with a steel moment frame to allow for a reduction in steel?

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

If the aspect ratio of a wood wall is greater than 3.5:1, you cannot use it. I would be very surprised it a tall skinny wood shear wall would give you any legitimate reduction in steel. I've never compared it before, but I would think the stiffness of the moment frame would be significantly higher than a single skinny shear wall. If you are using a steel moment frame just use it to do the job. I usually don't need to use a moment frame on residential garages. Many times you can use the APA portal frame in the IBC or strong walls or hardy frames if your parameters are such that you can't use the portal frame.

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

(OP)
Thank you for your post.

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Or you can raise the height of the concrete stem wall to lower the aspect ratio to the level that works, or just pour a concrete shear wall. Seeing a lot more of that done here recently.

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)


RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

(OP)
I like that idea very much. Thank you.

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

You may also want to look into designing it as a three side building

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Personally, though, I would not want to ride a three legged horse. deadhorse

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)


RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Depending on the garage it can be done as a three-sided structure. I did my father's garage as a three sided structure, hasn't fallen down yet. ;)

Professional and Structural Engineer (ME, NH)
American Concrete Industries
www.americanconcrete.com

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Beats a two legged horse

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Depending on your loads and if your height to width ratios work, you could run the header continuous over the walls and tie it down or run coil strap and blocking through the length of the walls and tie it to the header. This could shorten your walls to the height of the opening and then design the walls as a force transfer wall. Sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't.

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

Why not use portal frames? depending on height of wall a pretty small panel works and now it gives 1.5xLength for contributing length
CS-PF, PFG, PFH

RE: Residential Garage Shear Wall Combined With a Steel Moment Frame

(OP)
Thanks everyone I will definitely keep the portal frame in mind for the future. I ended up going with a simspon strong wall. This required them to adjust the garage door spacing but it worked in the end.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources