Postpeak residual capacity of nailed connections of a shear wall.

To quantify the postpeak residual capacity and to gain insights into the load transfer mechanism of a shear wall, nail connection tests were performed on salvaged connections after a monotonic shear wall test loaded up to peak load. Experimental results reveal that there is a loss of strength in most of the fasteners studied, indicating that almost all the fasteners contribute toward racking resistance of the wall. The maximum loss of strength was observed for the fastener in the uplift corner and for the fastener along the middle stud. Another area where fasteners exhibited a significant loss of strength was in plate connection located at the bottom plate. The performance of a shear wall can be enhanced by strengthening the two areas - uplift corner and bottom plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]