I am pleased to provide the first blog entry on a new project I have been working on since December 2005. In early 2006, APA expanded the Research Center to include a significant amount of storage space. As with most of the engineers at APA, when new “space” is available, we always try to make the space multi-use, and if possible, increase the testing capability of the Research Center.

As part of this lab expansion, we added a specially designed concrete slab and accompanying hardware that can load full-scale three-dimensional structures with lateral loads.

APA has a long history of testing walls in-plane racking (i.e. two-dimensional tests), but up until this lab expansion, we had not conducted any three-dimensional testing. The picture on the left shows a continuously sheathed wall line being tested at the lab.

This project is very important because building codes have continued to add options for prescriptive braced walls. The history of prescriptive braced walls are covered in the following past blog entries:

• Wall Bracing Recognized in Code Requirements Nearly 80 Years Ago
• 2006 World Conference on Timber Engineering: Lateral Load Design

The additions to the building code are based on the response to the architectural desire for larger windows and doors with narrow wall segments between openings, which has increased significantly over the last decade.

The testing capability can apply loads of up to 65 kips to test homes. The photo to the right shows the loading harness and calibrated load cell attached to the top plate of the test house.

This exciting test project is intended to improve our understanding of existing bracing methods and may lead to new bracing options for greater design flexibility. To keep you up-to-date on various test phases and results, APA technical staff will compile a series of progress reports that will be posted on our web site and covered in upcoming blog entries. Look for the first, which will include an overview of the test program, to post on the blog soon.