Structural equivalent of two drunks leaning on each other for support 2

[JAE]

Not sure I'd stand under three floors of framing with these boys (studs) holding it up.

 

[Teguci]

Great example of the Euler slender column!

 

[msquared48]

Was this photoshopped?

I guess this is proof that the sheetrock that was removed was literally preventing the wall studs from buckling.

Looks like a few of the bridging members are missing too.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[JAE]

Yep - sheathing is important to wood studs. I just was amazed about how the pairs of studs buckled into one another and thus, created a brace point of sorts.

Shoring is coming in the morning.

 

[Ron]

JAE...my thought as well on the buckling into each other.

It's always amazing how many of our structures remain standing despite poor design and construction.

 

[JStephen]

Nah, it just looks like they buy lumber at the same place I do. That's how it looks at the store.

 

[ToadJones]

JStephen-
I literally was laughing out loud reading your post.
Nothing like going to the local Home Depot and picking through 850 studs to 40 decent ones, eh?

M^2-
you know the heating, electrical, and plumbing contractors knocked that bridging out 3 days after it was initially installed.

 

[ToadJones]

The photo still looks odd to me.
You'd expect to see a lot more sag in the floor and the duct work doesn't look bent really at all.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Note the curvature, and how it's concentrated in one area of each stud's length.

Are the studs behind the duct, or under it?

I can't eliminate the possibility that the studs are precracked, jammed in place to hold the ductwork while it's being secured by other means.

I.e., one ductwork installer working alone, scrounges a few studs from another trade's stock, drives his truck over them to make them a little easier to compress axially by hand, and uses them as temporary support.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[cooperDBM]

Was this meant to be a load bearing wall? Are the joists continuous to the far wall? If it's like my place some rotting of the joist ends at the exterior walls may have caused them to transfer load to this wall.

 

[JAE]

Floor joists overhead are spliced on this stud wall. Two floors and a roof area supported by the studs - currently no sheathing but 1 1/2" thick lightweight concrete on the two floors above.

 

[msquared48]

So much for "lightweight" concrete...

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[EngineerofSteel]

sometimes a little cross bracing is more important than you think!

 

[TXStructural]

Nice studs. Last week, I was driving past a house undergoing a garage rebuild, and the builder removed the garage door end, the sheathing, and about 8 feet of 2x4 studs on each side, then used a pair of 2x6s to hold the end of the roof up - I was expecting to drive past again and see it buckled, but they stripped and removed the roof shortly after. I'm still not sure how the guys removed the roof without buckling the 2x6s.

I had a project where the drawings showed 3/4" gypcrete, but they installed 1-1/2" of normalweight. Nevermind that the floor system was designed for plywood-and-carpet residential but also had a commercial kitchen on it.

 

[Ron]

JAE...where do find these?! Title alone is worth LPS!

Is this one for which you're doing remediation consulting?

 

[hokie66]

Very brave/foolhardy photographer. Or long lens through window?

Wonder why it didn't collapse. Sheeting still in place on walls of floors above makes them act like deep beams?

 

[chicopee]

Something is wrong with that picture. Why isn't the other studded wall behind the buckled members not showing similar behavior? May have to agree with msquared48 about Photshop.

 

[Ron]

chicopee....the studs in the background are furring on a masonry wall....essentially no compressive stress.

JAE's statements imply that he saw this. If so, not photoshopped. If not, could be; however, look at the other evidence....

This wall is perpendicular to the joist span. There is significant water damage above, thus increasing deflection of the joists. Joists appear to have been spliced or partially "sistered".....all consistent with increased load on a wall attached to the underside of the joists.

 

[JAE]

This is not photoshopped - it is a project we are working on.

Apartment bldg with a fire at one end - smoke damage everywhere - flat roof,etc. Gutted the entire building (all gypsum board sheathing) to prep for reconstruction.

 

[chicopee]

I initially thought that it was furring but upon my second look at the picture I did not think so.