Performance of bracing panel wall segments utilizing wood plastic composite sill plates

An investigation into the methods of potentially improving the performance of light-frame shear walls was undertaken as part of a larger project for the United States Office of Naval Research. The goals of the project were to increase the durability, strength, and stiffness performance of light-frame shear walls by directly substituting wood-plastic composite members for the traditional dimensional lumber sill plate. The study included connection design as well as proof of concept cyclic racking tests of full-scale wall specimens. The results were that changing the sill plate form and the connections between the studs and the sill plate, increases the lateral capacity of the wall by a factor of 3, increases the "toughness" of the wall, and minimizes the potential for decay.