Wood Design: Diaphragms and Shear Walls

Course Outline

This course presents information on design and construction of wood diaphragms and shear walls. The contents cover rigid and flexible diaphragms, shear walls, and detailed design examples. The course materials are based entirely on the APA publication: Diaphragms and Shear Walls. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student will understand:

• the difference between diaphragms and shear walls;
• the difference between blocked and unblocked diaphragms;
• the difference between rigid and flexible diaphragms;
• the different diaphragm and shear wall panel layout;
• the importance of connection design;
• the importance of continuous load path;
• the components of diaphragms and shear walls;
• the design values of diaphragms;
• the design values of shear walls;
• the required adjustment of design values for different wood species;
• how to increase diaphragm and shear wall strength; and
• how to perform diaphragm and shear wall design calculations.

Course Content

The purpose of this course is to present information on design and construction of wood diaphragms and shear walls. You will be directed to the website of the Engineered Wood Association (APA) to study the following APA publication:

Diaphragms and Shear Walls (32 pages, PDF file format, 3.o MB).
Note: you need to register with APA (FREE) if you do not have an account with them.

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, save or print the document for your study.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

APA - The Engineered Wood Association
Wood Products Council
Wood Structural Panel Shear Walls
FEMA 368 - Chapter 12: Wood Structure Design Requirements
FEMA 368 - Chapter 12 Commentary: Wood Structure Design Requirements

Once you finish studying the above course content you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at his/her own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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