Chuck,
Great analogy! I assume the house is the "tractor" and maybe our new Oakland cathedral (all soaring glulams and wires and glass) or the WTC towers are/were the "airplane."
I think that confirms my concern that there be a simpler way to design our tractors, uh houses, for wind than that used for the cathedral or 100 story towers.
Great discussion!
Ralph Hueston Kratz, S.E.
Richmond CA USA
In a message dated 10/22/07 10:05:02 AM, chuckuc@pacbell.net writes:
No. Reinforcing an opening in a shearwall & putting the tiedowns at the
ends is a recognition of how the walls really function under load. In
the mechanical engineering world, it is more akin to the difference
between engineering a tractor & an airplane. A good engineer tries to
find the right balance between cost & function but YMMV.
Chuck Utzman, P.E.
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