Simpson Strong-Tie, the industry leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, has launched a new version of the Strong-Wall Shearwall Selector web application created to help building designers choose shearwall solutions based on up-to-date building code and product information without having to download additional software.

There are two modes for producing engineered solutions that resist design shear:

• Optimized In-Plane Shear – Provides the most cost-effective Strong–Wall shearwall solution(s).
• Manual In-Plane Shear – Creates solutions with any combination and quantity of Strong-Wall shearwalls.

Through technical analysis, the Strong-Wall Shearwall Selector provides actual drift and uplift values for a wind or seismic design shear load, while also considering simultaneous, vertically applied loads. Based on user input data, the program performs a rigidity analysis to determine the actual distributed shear to each wall in settings involving multiple aligned walls. In cases with walls stacked vertically, the program evaluates cumulative overturning effects to ensure that neither the wall, the anchor bolt, nor the anchorage to the foundation is overstressed.

The latest release now complies with the 2015 International Building Code by providing information on all three Strong-Wall Shearwall types: the Steel Strong-Wall® Shearwall (SSW); the original wood Strong-Wall Shearwall (SW); and the Strong-Wall Wood Shearwall (WSW) – the latest prefabricated wood wall that provides excellent lateral-force resistance and installation flexibility. Users are able to find specific product information based on application, save output files, and upload output files for future designs.

For information, including details on input variables, solution outputs, and screenshots, visit the dedicated Strong-Wall Shearwall Selector post on the Simpson Strong-Tie Structural Engineering Blog.