CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
(OP)
I'm doing a building review for change of occupancy and additional openings. There was a remodel completed about 25 years ago and it appears the lateral system was drastically changed. The designer used wood shear walls on the inside of the CMU. The CMU walls are only acting as bearing walls and I believe it is unreinforced CMU (built in 1972 and the original drawings don't show any vertical rebar, just bond beam bars). The remodel had new openings placed in the CMU as well...not many though, there is a lot of wall left.
Is using wood shear walls acceptable with CMU? I haven't ever seen it, I thought there was something in the code that prevented it, but I can't find the reference.
Is using wood shear walls acceptable with CMU? I haven't ever seen it, I thought there was something in the code that prevented it, but I can't find the reference.






RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
Wood shrinkage is also an issue since your cmu walls wont shrink. You coyld mitigate this by putting your bearing surface on an amount of sill plates equalling the number of flat playes total for the wood bearing portion.
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
Just to clarify, I'm not trying to do it, I'm just wondering if it is justifiable because it appears that is what is there. At this point, there is a CMU bearing wall for the roof joists, and on the inside, there is a wood wall with OSB and blocking between the joists with toe-nails to the double top plate and anchor bolts into the slab. It really looks like they tried to do wood shear walls inside the CMU walls. I'm not convinced either that it would ever work for the reasons stated about the stiffness/strength differences.
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls
RE: CMU Bearing Walls with Wood Shear Walls