Shear Wall Hold-Down and Anchor Bolt Selection per SDPWS

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Shear Wall Hold-Down and Anchor Bolt Selection per SDPWS

Summary: Select Simpson Strong-Tie hold-down and anchor bolt for overturning resistance. Free shear wall design tool: boundary forces T and C per SDPWS Eq 4.3-7;…

Overview

Building / scenario

  • Occupancy / use: Residential, SDC D
  • Geometry / size: 8 ft × 6 ft
  • Site / exposure: SDPWS 2021

Problem statement

An 8 ft × 6 ft wood shear wall in SDC D carries seismic lateral force E = 4,500 lb and dead load 45 plf. Overturning produces tension T at the hold-down. Per SDPWS §4.3.5, §4.3.6, the hold-down must resist net uplift. Select a Simpson Strong-Tie model from the table whose capacity (lb) exceeds max T. The table lists anchor bolt diameter—embedment per ACI 318 or anchor evaluation report. Species DF/SP vs SPF/HF affects capacity; use the correct column.

Workflow in StructSuite

StructSuite's free structural design software computes boundary forces T and C per Eq 4.3-7 from geometry, lateral load, and gravity. Open Step 4: Boundary Members & Hold-Downs. Select DF/SP or SPF/HF for framing species. In the Simpson table, click a row (e.g., HDUE3-SDS3 for 3,790 lb DF/SP, 5/8 in. anchor bolt) so capacity ≥ max T. Step 5 Design Verification shows D/C ≤ 1 when adequate.

Design considerations (excerpt)

h/b = 1.33, within 2:1 limit. Shorter b (6 ft vs 8 ft) increases unit shear and overturning T. For same V, T ∝ 1/b. Narrower walls need larger hold-downs. Blocked construction increases Vn per Table 4.3A.

E = 4,500 lb is high for 8×6 ft—typical of SDC D two-story or high weight. Seismic Va = Vn/2.8 (stricter than wind Vn/2.0) reflects cyclic loading. Higher E directly increases both shear demand and overturning T.

T = (V×h − 0.6D×b²/2) / b. 45 plf is modest; 60–80 plf would reduce T significantly. Doubling D can cut required hold-down capacity 30–50%. Light roof (metal, truss) gives lower D.

Shear capacity must be satisfied first; then overturning drives hold-down. 15/32 at 4 in. edge…

Related terms

  • StructSuite
  • structural engineering
  • design example
  • shear wall
  • SDPWS
  • holddown anchor selection

Open the live example

Use the interactive, read-only wizard: Open this example in StructSuite (pre-filled inputs and step-by-step UI).