Three-Dimensional Model of Light Frame Wood Buildings. I: Model Description

In this paper, a nonlinear three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of light frame buildings capable of static and dynamic analysis is presented. The model can accommodate various material and structural configurations, including multilevel structures. A customizable commercial general purpose FE code is used in the analytical investigation of the model formulation. The model as presented is capable of predicting the hierarchical response of the structure from the global, such as the maximum displacement, down to the individual demand placed on substructures such as a nailed joint connection. This capability is provided by replacing individual substructure responses, e.g., in-plane responses of shear walls, with energetically equivalent and more computationally efficient nonlinear springs. The predictive ability of the model is experimentally validated, in Part II, based on global and local response comparisons, considering measures of energy dissipation, displacement, and load. Validated, this model provides the analyst a powerful tool to investigate various aspects of light frame building behavior under static and dynamic loading.