In this post, we follow up on our October webinar, by answering some of the interesting questions raised by attendees. During the webinar, we discussed the latest Strong-Wall applications and innovative design strategies to help you optimize your structural designs. We walked through key updates, showcasing how our enhanced Strong-Wall solutions can streamline the design process while improving structural performance and compliance.

As with our previous webinars, we ended with a Q&A session for the attendees. Our Group Product Manager, Damon Ho, and our Senior R&D Engineer, Scott Fischer, answered as many questions as they could in the time allowed. Now we are back to recap some of the commonly asked questions and their answers, but if you’d like to see the full list, click here.

Q: Would it make the most sense to check the steel beam (under the Strong-Wall) with an applied moment from the Strong-Wall? Or with the tension/compression couple?

A: The steel beam must be designed and detailed according to code by the designer to withstand the forces imposed by the Strong-Wall panel above, including superimposed vertical load, point load (tension/compression), shear load, and overturning moment.

Q: Do you have recommended installation details for raised floor (RF) application with floor joists perpendicular to the WSWH?

A: We recommend installing perpendicular framing to the floor system, positioned on the inside face, with solid DF/SCL blocking under the center of the Strong-Wall; joist hangers may also be used. The perpendicular floor framing should be installed at a maximum spacing of 2′ on center. For parallel floor systems, install blocking within 6″ of each end of the WSWH/SSW panel, ensuring the blocking depth matches the floor framing. Please refer to page 60 of catalog C-L-SW24 for more details.

Q: For the non-stacked application, are PSL posts acceptable in lieu of LSL posts?

A: We have a minimum requirement specification for the LSL. The material we tested for is TimberStrand with a modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 1.3E. When considering using PSL posts, ensure they meet or exceed this MOE rating of 1.3E to provide comparable structural performance.

Q: Why is the welding limited to certain lengths for the SBC? I would assume that you would get a better behavior from the SBC not prying from the steel beam flange if you welded along the entire length of the SBC? As the designer, would it be possible to weld beyond the requested length?

A: We developed this based on calculating the minimum size strength requirements based on AISC 360-22 and experimental observations. The overturning failure of tensile and compression modes will be focused at the anchor SBC hole location, so we only need to provide welds at that location, which is enough reinforcement (no strain SBC observed) for the panel above to perform with maximum force behavior. Although testing a 10% decrease from the rigid base, this is acceptable. For designers, it is allowed to provide longer weld or full weld, but please note that will be redundant and not add to the shear load.

Q: If you place a Strong-Wall wall on a wood or steel beam, there has to be some minimum amount of stiffness in the beam to cover the deflection limits. Are those beam stiffness values provided?

A: For the WSWH on a wood beam, we have published the engineering solutions for additional displacement from the beam; please refer page 26 of C-L-SW24. For the stiffness requirement, the WSWH may be installed on DFL #2, LSL, 2.0E LVL, or CLT. Please refer to page 23 of C-L-SW24 for more details.

For the Strong-Wall on a steel beam, we do not currently provide the exact stiffness or stiffener requirement that needs to be provided for the steel beam, other than a steel beam with flange of 0.4″. This will basically be up to the designer to design based on their conditions. If you’re getting greater deflection, those things do need to be accounted for, and that’s an instance where we would want to get some of the variables of your structure so we can work together to help you with those values.

Q: For panels on wood beams, what grade is required for the wood beam (DF-L ok or does it have to be SCL)?

A: The WSWH wood beam solution may be installed on DFL #2, LSL, 2.0E LVL, or CLT. Please refer to page 23 of C-L-SW24 for more details.

Q: For what types of projects are Strong-Walls more cost effective than a typically designed wooden shear wall? The abundance of hysteresis curves in the presentation makes me think higher seismic. For context, I live in Chicago which is SDC A and ultimate wind speed is 107 mph.

A: Strong-Wall shearwalls are suitable for residential, multifamily, and light-frame commercial construction in areas with high-wind and seismic activity, providing the most benefit in high seismic zones (SDC C-F). Additionally, they’re ideal for buildings with large openings that require narrow bracing methods and high shear load resistance. For lower force and architecture requirements, you can use site-built shearwalls and the prescriptive bracing methods.

Q: The table for WSWH24X7 shows a holdown tension at allowable shear load of as much as 37 kips. Any thoughts on the cost to design and build a foundation under one of these panels?

A: Simpson Strong-Tie offers various solutions for installing WSWH on different foundation types such as slab-on-grade, raised floors, stem walls, etc.

For additional information, you can refer to the tables on pages 37 and 38 for specific foundation dimensions corresponding to the anchorage ASD allowable tension values. However, to accommodate the diverse characteristics of construction projects, the foundation design is the responsibility of the Engineer of Record (EOR), ensuring compatibility with the Strong-Wall panel.