Developers build between 1 and 2 million new homes in the United States each year. Since most of these homes use wood framing, the residential construction industry wants to use lumber and other related resources as efficiently and cost effectively as possible, while building homes strong enough to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes.

Wall-bracing methods used in conventional construction historically have consisted of multiple shear wall segments with openings for doors and windows braced by metal anchors. HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research recently released a report that examines the performance of an alternative approach. The Performance of Perforated Shear Walls with Narrow Wall Segments, Reduced Base Restraint, and Alternative Framing Methods provides additional information on the perforated shear wall method.

This method uses simple empirical equations to design shear walls containing openings. When designed for a given load, shear walls resulting from this method will generally have a reduced number of anchors compared with similar walls constructed with multiple traditional shear wall segments. The inferred performance is achieved due to the method's accuracy.

The Performance of Perforated Shear Walls summarizes previous tests of this method and presents the results of additional tests. The study presents data verifying the perforated shear wall method using 2-foot wall segments. It also confirms that the shear capacity calculated using an empirical equation developed by two previous testers conservatively estimates the capacity of all specimens tested. The authors recommend using an alternative empirical equation that results in a more accurate prediction of capacity on average. Finally, the data show that alternative framing practices -- such as increasing anchor bolt spacing, which slightly decreases the ultimate capacity, initial stiffness, and energy dissipated -- show promise for high-wind and high-seismic applications.

The study concludes with recommendations for additional testing.