A new automated tool provides assistance in the design of force transfer around openings (FTAO).
The Engineered Wood Association developed the free tool that includes a calculator and Technical Note. The FTAO method of shear wall design provides structures with a more comprehensive lateral resistance design which otherwise omitted the sheathing around windows or other large openings, according to a news release by the association.
“The FTAO method used to be considered cumbersome and somewhat undefinable due to the lack of specificity in the design code,” said Jared S. Hensley, P.E., APA Engineered Wood Specialist. “Now we have a new tool that simplifies the structural design process and makes the FTAO method more approachable and more precise.”
The APA FTAO Calculator provides the required hold-down forces, tension strap forces, and wall sheathing capacity, and automatically completes the design check in the final step. It also provides shear wall deflection calculations for the 3- and 4-term deflection equation options.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jun 8, 2020
5 must reads for the AEC industry today: June 8, 2020
Frank Lloyd Wright sites set to reopen and construction jobs rise by 464,000.
Codes and Standards | Jun 8, 2020
Reopened offices raise liability risk for businesses and owners
Risks may not be covered by property insurance.
Codes and Standards | Jun 4, 2020
American Wood Council updates report on fire resistance of wood members and assemblies
Provides new examples and background on mass timber calculations.
Codes and Standards | Jun 3, 2020
Virginia makes GCs liable for subs employee wages
New law allows workers to sue GCs for wages in class action.
Codes and Standards | Jun 2, 2020
Designers, owners reinventing restaurants to cope with COVID-19
Options include rearranged seating, mobile ordering, designated flow spaces.
Codes and Standards | Jun 1, 2020
How owners should comply with OSHA roofing safety guidelines
Buildings should have fall protection and restraint provisions for those who go on roofs.
Codes and Standards | May 29, 2020
AIA releases new, updated sustainable project documents
Streamlined sustainable design and construction process included.
Codes and Standards | May 28, 2020
USGBC outlines how it will support pandemic recovery efforts
Includes emergency guidance and upgrades to the LEED green building program.
Codes and Standards | May 27, 2020
Office market could be COVID-19 casualty
As companies get used to work at home, post-pandemic office market could collapse.
Codes and Standards | May 26, 2020
Architectural Reuse Council will step up efforts to reuse construction waste
Cabinets, appliances, lighting, and lumber diverted from landfills to be repurposed.