Top Plate Nailing in Vulnerability Based Seismic Assessment and Retrofit of One and Two-Story Dwellings

TOP PLATE NAILING IN FEMA P-1100 WITH SOME EXTRA NAILS IN THE LOWER TOP PLATE THAT DON’T HURT ANYTHING

 

Here I look at the history of plywood nailing from the 1997 Uniform Code for Building Conservation to the newest residential seismic retrofit Guideline ICC 1300 Vulnerability Based Seismic Assessment and Retrofit of One- and Two-Story Dwellings.  This took weeks of research to come to the simple conclusion that you will find at the end of this page and the end of this video.  I can’t imagine anyone watching the entire video unless you are a retrofit propeller-head as I am.

Here I look at an often-overlooked top plate connection that is a very important part of every seismic retrofit and should never be ignored.

Exclusive Upper Top Plate Nailing Is Found in:

  • CEBC:
  • LADBS Plan Set 1
  • Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic
  • Simpson Strong-Tie Plan Set
  • City of Seattle Guidelines
  • Portland Guidelines
  • American Plywood Association Shear Wall Details

Nails In the Lower and Upper Top Plates Are Found in:

  • Standard Plan A
  • FEMA DR-4193-RA2

In the credits, at the beginning of this plan set it admits much of the material contained therein came from Standard Plan A.

Nails Exclusively in The Lower Top Plate:

  • CUREE Publication W-17, Page 19 Figure 1.7

This detail is contrary to 25 years of precedents established by multiple jurisdictions.  If the standard is to be accepted, its use must be justified by both engineering theory and empirical evidence.  Including this detail is essentially telling jurisdictions that may have followed the 5 guidelines and the SDPWS for years, that they had it wrong the whole time.  There will be a lot of resistance to using this detail in particular, and the entire standard in general, unless this and other details peculiar to the standard can be fully justified.

Be Sure and Look at The Images Below. 

 

 

Top Plate Nailing American Plywood Association

                                                 NAILS IN UPPER TOP PLATE ONLY

Nails Only in The Top Plate in Figure 7, American Plywood Association Introduction to Lateral Design

 

Top plate nailing wind resistance building code

                                               NAILS IN UPPER TOP PLATE ONLY

Nails In the Upper 2 x 4 plate: American Plywood Association, Figure 4, Building for High Wind Resistance in Light-Frame Wood Construction

 

Top plate nailing California Existing Building Code

                                               NAILS IN UPPER TOP PLATE ONLY

Single Row of Nails in The Upper Top Plate:  1997 Uniform Code For

Building Conservation And The International Existing Building Code

 

Top plate nailing Simpson StrongTie plan set

                                            NAILS IN UPPER TOP PLATE ONLY

Another Single Row of Nails in The Simpson Plan Set

 

                                                            NAILS IN UPPER TOP PLATE ONLY

More of the same:  Seattle Plan Guidelines

 

                                                       NAILS IN UPPER TOP PLATE ONLY

Again, More of the Same:  Portland Guidelines

 

                                                  NAILS IN UPPER AND TOP PLATES

More Upper Top Plate Nailing in LADBS Plan Set

 

                                                        NAILS IN UPPER TOP PLATE ONLY

Upper Top Plate Nailing:  Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic

 

                                    NAILS IN UPPER AND TOP PLATES

Oops! Upper and Lower Top Plate Nailing:  Standard Plan A

I was on the committee that created Standard Plan A and until it was revised in 2008 it used upper top plate nailing exclusively.

                                                                      NAILS IN UPPER AND LOWER TOP PLATES

The Influence of Standard Plan A- Upper and Lower Top Plate Nailing:  FEMA DR-4193-RA2  

 

EXCLUSIVE LOWER TOP PLATE NAILING.   THIS IS FROM A 6 MILLION DOLLAR FEMA FUNDED PROJECT GIVEN TO UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS WHO HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE DOING.  NEVER TRUSY A Ph.D TO DESIGN YOUR RETROFIT. 

Exclusive Lower Top Plate Nailing:  CUREE W-17, Page 93, Fig 1.7

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