Wood light-frame floor diaphragms, made with OSB panels and I-joists, subjected to vertical loads.

Wood light-frame floor diaphragms, made with OSB panels and I-joists, subjected to vertical loads. This work is focused on lightweight wood-frame constructions, and presents a finite element modeling of floor diaphragms and wood I-joists subjected to four-point bending. It presents the results of experimental tests on wood I-joists subjected to vertical loads. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the resistance and rigidity of wood light-frame floor diaphragms, when subjected to monotonic vertical forces acting in the plane of the floor. The analyses were performed using the SAP2000 computer program and tested with diferent constructive arrangements, and the influence of the following variables were examined: distance between wood I-joists, and distance between nails around the perimeter of the OSB boards. Finally, a comparison between analytical and numerical results is performed.