Professional Documents
Culture Documents
S R- 1 0 3 A APRIL 2014
n 2012 International Residential Code (IRC): Sections R104.11 Alternative materials, design and methods of construc-
tion and equipment, R301.1.3 Engineered design, R602.3.5 Braced wall panel uplift load path, R602.10.2.1 Braced
wall panel uplift load path, R602.10.8.2 Connections to roof framing, R604.1 Identification and grade, and R802.11.1
Uplift resistance, and Tables R301.2(2), R301.2(3), and R802.11
n 2009 International Residential Code (IRC): Sections R104.11 Alternative materials, design and methods of construc-
tion and equipment, R301.1.3 Engineered design, R604.1 Identification and grade, and R802.11.1 Uplift resistance,
and Tables R301.2(2), R301.2(3), and R802.11
n ANSI/AWC WFCM-2012, Wood Frame Construction Manual for One- and Two-Family Dwellings
n NAHB Research Center reports dated August 8, 2011, February 15, 2012, and December 26, 2012
As demand grows for energy efficiency in new structures, ceiling insulation depth is often increased. This has resulted
in a change in the way roof trusses are constructed. With traditional rafters or trusses, the depth of attic insulation
is typically reduced above the wall top plates due to the narrow space between the top plates and the roof sheathing
above. Further compromising this reduced space is the use of ventilation baffles to maintain the required airflow into
the attic area from the eaves of the house. In addition, compression of batt insulation at the eaves reduces the R-value
of the insulation, leading to increased heating and cooling costs. Recognizing these inefficiencies, the 2012 and 2009
International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Section R402.2.1 allows for the prescriptive insulation level of the
attic to be reduced when energy-heel trusses are used.
For compliance with the IECC, trusses are increasingly being constructed as energy-heel or raised-heel trusses, as
shown in Figure 1. Designed with a small vertical truss element at the bearing locations of the truss, energy-heel trusses
provide sufficient space for full-depth insulation without compromising the effectiveness of the attic ventilation or the
insulation R-value. When properly installed, these vertical truss elements are in alignment with the exterior surface of
the wall framing elements. However, the increased distance between the roof sheathing and the top plates of the wall
complicates the required lateral support for these trusses. For conventional trusses, horizontal 2x4 or 2x6 blocking is
used between the trusses to provide lateral support.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 1
When the distance from the bottom of the roof sheath-
ing to the top of the top wall plate is greater than FIGURE 1
2.1 Scope
This report is intended for structures that are subjected to basic wind speed of 110 mph or less and a wind exposure
category of B or C. It is also applicable to Seismic Design Category A, B, or C for detached one- and two-family dwell-
ings or Seismic Design Category A or B for townhouses in accordance with Section R301.2.2 of the 2012 IRC. For other
wind or seismic cases, the structures shall comply with the pertinent provisions of the IRC or IBC.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 2
3 . M ETHODOLOGY
Structures must meet all of the following conditions before using the method prescribed in this report:
a. The building shall be designed in accordance with the 2012 or 2009 IRC;
b. Other sheathing methods covered by the IRC besides CS-WSP are not applicable;
c. The trusses must be raised-heel trusses with a depth between 15-1/4 and 24 inches;
d. The outside edge of the raised heel of the truss shall be in alignment with the outside surface of the wall
framing below;
e. The aspect ratio (L/S) of the roof must be between 1/2:1 and 2:1 or greater;
m. Interior finish of exterior walls shall be as required in the 2012 or 2009 IRC;
n. Wood structural panel sheathing shall be a minimum of 7/16 Performance Category with a Span Rating of 24/16.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 3
FIGURE 2
A 15-1/4-INCH AND 24-INCH ENERGY-HEEL TRUSS ATTACHMENT USING WOOD STRUCTURAL PANEL SHEATHING
2 rows of 2 rows of
24"
4" min.
8d nails at 8d nails at
min. 4" o.c. min. 4" o.c.
min.
15-1/4"
staggered staggered
4"
(1) 8d nail each (1) 8d nail each
bottom chord bottom chord
FIGURE 3
DEFINITION OF TERMS FOR TABLES 1 THROUGH 3 (PLAN VIEW OF ROOF FRAMING MEMBERS)
WIND
Roof trusses
(A maximum roof overhang of 24 inches outside of the truss span is permitted)
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 4
TABLE 1
L/S ≥ 2:1 – UNADJUSTED ANCHOR BOLT SPACING (INCHES) FOR WOOD STRUCTURAL PANEL SHEATHING
OVERLAPPING 15-1/4- TO 24-INCH ENERGY-HEEL ROOF TRUSSES TO PROVIDE SHEAR AND WIND UPLIFT (a)(b)(c)(d)
Exposure B
Basic Wind Speed (mph)
Roof
≤ 85 90 100 110
Span
(ft) Roof pitch
5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to
< 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12
12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12
12 42 42 42 42 42 42 36 36
18 42 42 42 42 36 36 36 36
24 42 42 42 42 36 36 36 36
28 42 42 36 42 36 36 36 36
32 42 42 36 42 36 36 36 36
36 42 42 36 36 36 36 36 36
Exposure C
Basic Wind Speed (mph)
Roof
≤ 85 90 100 110
Span
(ft) Roof pitch
5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to
< 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12
12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12
12 42 42 36 42 36 36 36 36
18 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36
24 36 36 36 36 36 36 32 36
28 36 36 36 36 36 36 32 32
32 36 36 36 36 32 36 24 32
36 36 36 36 36 32 36 24 32
(a) Anchor bolts shall be ½-inch-diameter or larger with 3- x 3- x 0.229-inch square-plate washers spaced as shown in the table above.
See Section 3.5.1 for optional anchor bolt spacing adjustment.
(b) See Figure 3 for wall configuration.
(c) Wall shall be installed and attached in accordance with Figure 2. Conditions beyond assumptions listed in Section 3 are outside the scope
of this report.
(d) Interpolation shall be permitted, but extrapolation shall not be permitted.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 5
TABLE 2
2:1 > L/S ≥ 1:1 – UNADJUSTED ANCHOR BOLT SPACING (INCHES) FOR WOOD STRUCTURAL PANEL SHEATHING
OVERLAPPING 15-1/4- TO 24-INCH ENERGY-HEEL ROOF TRUSSES TO PROVIDE SHEAR AND WIND UPLIFT (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)
Exposure B
Basic Wind Speed (mph)
Roof
≤ 85 90 100 110
Span
(ft) Roof pitch
5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to
< 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12
12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12
12 42 42 42 42 42 42 36 36
18 42 42 42 42 36 36 36 36
24 42 42 42 42 36 36 36 36
28 42 42 36 42 36 36 36 36
32 42 42 36 42 36 36 36 36
36 42 42 36 36 36 36 36 36
Exposure C
Basic Wind Speed (mph)
Roof
≤ 85 90 100 110
Span
(ft) Roof pitch
5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to
< 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12
12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12
12 42 42 36 42 36 36 36 36
18 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36
24 36 36 36 36 36 36 32 36
28 36 36 36 36 36 36 32 32
32 36 36 36 36 32 36 24 32
36 36 36 36 36 32 32 NA NA
(a) Anchor bolts shall be ½-inch-diameter or larger with 3- x 3- x 0.229-inch square-plate washers spaced as shown in the table above.
See Section 3.5.1 for optional anchor bolt spacing adjustment.
(b) See Figure 3 for wall configuration.
(c) Wall shall be installed and attached in accordance with Figure 2. Conditions beyond assumptions listed in Section 3 are outside the scope
of this report.
(d) Interpolation shall be permitted, but extrapolation shall not be permitted.
(e) NA = Not applicable and engineered design required.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 6
TABLE 3
1:1 > L/S ≥ 1/2:1 – UNADJUSTED ANCHOR BOLT SPACING (INCHES) FOR WOOD STRUCTURAL PANEL SHEATHING
OVERLAPPING 15-1/4- TO 24-INCH ENERGY-HEEL ROOF TRUSSES TO PROVIDE SHEAR AND WIND UPLIFT (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)
Exposure B
Basic Wind Speed (mph)
Roof
≤ 85 90 100 110
Span
(ft) Roof pitch
5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to
< 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12
12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12
12 42 32 42 32 42 32 36 24
18 42 32 42 32 36 24 36 24
24 42 32 42 32 36 24 36 24
28 42 32 36 32 36 24 36 24
32 42 32 36 24 36 24 36 24
36 42 32 36 24 36 24 36 24
Exposure C
Basic Wind Speed (mph)
Roof
≤ 85 90 100 110
Span
(ft) Roof pitch
5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to 5:12 to
< 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12 < 5:12
12:12 12:12 12:12 12:12
12 32 24 24 19.2 24 19.2 24 19.2
18 24 19.2 24 19.2 24 19.2 24 NA
24 24 19.2 24 19.2 24 19.2 NA NA
28 24 19.2 24 19.2 24 NA NA NA
32 24 19.2 24 19.2 24 NA NA NA
36 24 19.2 24 NA NA NA NA NA
(a) Anchor bolts shall be ½-inch-diameter or larger with 3- x 3- x 0.229-inch square-plate washers spaced as shown in the table above.
See Section 3.5.1 for optional anchor bolt spacing adjustment.
(b) See Figure 3 for wall configuration.
(c) Wall shall be installed and attached in accordance with Figure 2. Conditions beyond assumptions listed in Section 3 are outside the scope
of this report.
(d) Interpolation shall be permitted, but extrapolation shall not be permitted.
(e) NA = Not applicable and engineered design required.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 7
3.2 Fastener Attachments
Wood structural panel sheathing shall be attached to framing with 8d common nails (0.131 inch x 2-1/2 inches) at
6 inches o.c. at the panel sides and bottom edges. Wood structural panel sheathing shall be attached at the top plate
with 8d common nails at 4 inches o.c. Note that this is a deviation from common practice for wood structural panel
bracing panels, which are typically nailed at 6 inches o.c. around the perimeter. All panel sheathing field nailing shall
be 8d common nails at 12 inches o.c., except at the raised heel of trusses, as shown in Figure 2.
Attachment at the raised heel of the trusses shall be with 8d common nails. A single nail shall be placed through the
panel into the bottom chord of the truss. The additional nails required shall be placed in the raised heel of the truss
in two rows, with the nails staggered and spaced at 4 inches o.c. in each row. The 15-1/4-inch energy-heel truss shall
require a total of 5 nails into the heel of each truss and the 24-inch truss shall require a total of 7 nails in each heel.
For trusses between 15-1/4 and 24 inches, interpolation shall be permitted for determining the minimum number of
nails required. See Figure 2.
n Check the building for compliance with all conditions listed in Section 3 of this report.
n From the aspect ratio (L/S) determined above, go to the appropriate table:
n Enter the appropriate table with the wind speed, exposure classification, roof pitch, and roof span. If a number is
provided in the corresponding table cell, overlapping the energy-heel truss with the sheathing in accordance with
Section 3.1 and attaching it in accordance with Section 3.2 will meet wind uplift loads required in the 2012 or 2009
IRC Sections R802.11, as well as the lateral loads required by the load path. The number provided in the cell is the
anchor bolt spacing that is required at the base of the wall to complete both the lateral and uplift load paths.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 8
3.5.1 Optional Step
The above calculation presupposes that each foot of the wall has both the lateral load component and the uplift com-
ponent. In most cases, especially in cases limited to low seismic areas, the wall bracing is only a fraction of the braced
wall line. In a given braced wall line segment, a wall line with a continuous bottom plate – that is, one that is not
interrupted by door openings or bump-outs – a simple calculation can be used to adjust the unadjusted anchor bolt
spacing up to the maximum permitted by the 2012 or 2009 IRC (60 inches o.c. maximum for low seismic areas). The
calculation is as follows:
n Go through the steps in Section 3.4 above to determine if overlapping the energy-heel truss with the wood structural
panel wall sheathing is acceptable. If so, record the anchor bolt spacing from Table 1, 2 or 3.
n Determine the ratio of the uninterrupted braced wall line segment length over the actual amount of bracing in that
segment.
n Multiply the maximum anchor bolt spacing by this ratio, remembering that the adjusted anchor bolt spacing cannot
exceed 60 inches.
n The braced wall line length in question is 23 feet, measured between door openings or bump-outs (uninterrupted
bottom plate).
n The ratio of the braced wall line length (23 feet) over the required wall bracing length (6 feet) is 23/6 = 3.83.
n Use the code required maximum anchor bolt spacing of 60 inches o.c.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 9
4 . LI M ITATION S
d. Wood structural panel sheathing for use in this application shall meet PS 1 or PS 2 requirements with the
design properties as specified in Panel Design Specification (APA Form D510, www.apawood.org/publications).
e. Wood structural panel sheathing shall be of sufficient capacity to resist applied wind loads. See Technical Topics:
Wind Resistance of Wood Structural Panel Sheathed Wall (APA Form TT-110, www.apawood.org/publications).
f. This report is subject to periodic review. The latest copy of this report is available for free download at
www.apawood.org/publications.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 10
A PPE NDI X A
Design Example
Given: A building is designed with a roof length (L) of 88 feet and a truss span (S) of 32 feet. 18-inch energy-heel trusses
will be used. Wood structural panel sheathing meeting PS 1 or PS 2 requirements is designed for blocking the trusses
to resist lateral and wind uplift loads. What is the anchor bolt spacing that will meet the 2012 IRC requirements?
Other information:
n Exposure Category = B
Solution steps:
b. The L/S ratio = 88/32 = 2.75. Use Table 1 for L/S > 2:1.
c. Enter Table 1 with Exposure B, 100 mph, roof slope < 5:12, and roof span (S) 32 feet.
d. The anchor bolt spacing provided in the corresponding table cell can be used to design blocking for the
trusses to resist lateral and wind uplift loads. In this case, the anchor bolt spacing is 36 inches. Note that
this is the unadjusted anchor bolt spacing that may be used to anchor the braced wall panels to the founda-
tion at the first story.
e. The permitted anchor bolt spacing may be adjusted for each un-interrupted braced wall line segment as
described in Section 3.5.1.
FORM NO. SR-103A ■ © 2014 APA – THE ENGINEERED WOOD ASSOCIATION ■ WWW.APAWOOD.ORG | 11
Use of Wood Structural Panels
for Energy-Heel Trusses
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