When nailed according to a specified nailing pattern Windstorm can reduce or eliminate wall uplift hardware. The increased length provides proper base plate and top plate nailing edge distance, and eliminates most blocking requirements.
Full-Scale Tensile and Shear Wall Performance Testing of Light ... <
The referenced report is interesting. The testing comany has tested the cross-grain failure mechanism as well as the nail failure. The report shows the cross grain failures on pages 16 and 17.
Although cross-grain values are not provided by NDS, values of 300 to 400 psi are referenced, obtaining these values from the Forest Products Wood Handbook.
I think that there are some specific sentences in some of the codes prohibiting cross-grain bending.
I have reviewed the Norbergs referenced ER-1952 and can find no mention of being able to eliminate hold downs. Maybe someone else can provide this information.
The brochure I have says "eliminates the hassles of blocking and extra hardware."
It's made in 97 1/8", 109 1/8", and 121 1/8" panel lengths to be installed vertically, engaging the wall bottom plate to the top of the double top plate in standard wall heights....which would eliminate a lot of panel blocking. To eliminate other hardware, I think the devil is in the details. I think your shear walls will still require some uplift hardware at the ends.
According to Norbord's web-site in comparing their 2-Step Windstorm Method to conventional shear walls:
"To summarize, both methods provide the same uplift and shear forces, by loading a continuous path to the foundation."
Also the ER-1952 legacy report only provides code values for high load horizontal diaphragms. Norberg must have some values published in another Legacy Report for their shear walls that specifically states that the regular anchor bolts can be used for uplift forces and that it's ok to use cross-grain bending in the sill plates.
