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Shear Wall straps 1

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I-beam

Structural
Oct 6, 2019
26
US
Hi
I'm designing a 4-story wood framed building using RISA software. For the shear walls, the program offers various tension straps to transfer chord forces where required. I'm curious how a tension strap would get installed on an interior shear wall since the plywood floor deck would conflict with the strap.
I would think the strap would have to be installed prior to the floor deck, or a slit cut in the deck after, to pass the strap thru, both seem cumbersome …. maybe it would just be easier to use a small holdown above an below the floor deck and drill a hole for a tie rod ---- any advise … tank you
 
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I've only seen a hold down with a threaded rod, never a strap. On interior at least.
 
And just to clarify, this tension tie is between elevated floors, from studs below to studs above.
 
Yea just use two simpson hold downs (HDU, etc), one above the sill plate, one below the double top plate (upside down).
 
I think you need to figure out what is a "strap" meant by RISA. Could the metal piece below called a strap (looks like one)?

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Retired13,
Straps are straps and hold downs are hold downs in RISA. RISA selects hold downs at the base/lowest level of the walls, and selects an appropriate strap where a shearwall is located above another shearwall.

OP,
You can just select a hold down with equivalent strength as the strap from RISA. Just make sure your chord has the proper member size for the nails/screws/bolts.
 
Because typically you would use a strap if it is an exterior wall. There is no distinction made in the software between interior and exterior walls. All it does is compare the uplift value to a database of simpson straps and/or hold downs. Not a preference of terminology as there is a distinct difference between a strap and a hold down. It's up to the engineer to say "oh, well this would be hard to install, lets use a hold down instead". Realistically you can still use a strap.
 
It makes sense. Thanks. So all the responses refer to "hold down" answers OP's question.
 
Yes - thank you all - holdowns above and below make sense. I will contact RISA to see
what they were thinking - most likely only applies at exterior shear walls where the strap can be placed on the outside of the wall
 
To install the straps on the interior wall - just have the contractor cut a small slit in the plywood and feed the strap through. We do this all the time and haven't heard any complaints.
 
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