Wind Effect on the Exterior Stud walls in Corpus Christi

[Mazhar Amin]

Dear Engineers,

Are metal stud walls appropriate for exterior use in Corpus Christi, where wind speeds can reach 160 mph? I am considering using sheetrock insulation with vinyl siding for a 36-foot-high wall on the second floor of a residential building. The existing wall was constructed with 16" o.c. stud spacing using conventional methods, but I am concerned about its ability to withstand wind pressure at this height and wind speed.

Would this configuration effectively resist 160 mph winds, or should additional reinforcements be considered? I’ve calculated the wind pressures, and they were quite severe.

I would appreciate your insights and any recommended solutions. Thank you!

 

[Mazhar Amin]

It's been awhile since I've done light gage design, but I'm with XR250 that this seems doable, perhaps with a heavier gage stud. If that fails, then provide thicker walls (8" stud depth).

If you're the structural engineer for this project what does your analysis of the wall studs tell you?

I'll share with you. Today, I got to know about the site conditions. Actually the purpose of wall is changing from interior to exterior wall and my job is to check the stability of wall.

 

[XR250]

Very strange connection. What is keeping the beam from rotating due to the stud out-of-plane load.? Also, the studs are carrying the live load of whatever the beam is supposed to be carrying due to a lack of a slide connection.

 

[phamENG]

Yikes. And nothing restraining the flanges - doesn't that throw out most of the standard design assumptions for light gauge studs?

 

[XR250]

Unlikely

Yikes. And nothing restraining the flanges - doesn't that throw out most of the standard design assumptions for light gauge studs?

Well I suppose that could be remedied with blocking or other means. Regardless, this does not seem like a practical endeavor considering all of the challenges.

 

[DaveAtkins]

I don't like that connection. Each stud should have a clip screwed to the stud and connected to the beam flange with power actuated fasteners. Check the Dietrich website.

 

[dold]

OP, are you designing a new wall or trying to figure out if the existing wall will work in an exterior application? Do yourself, the owner, and architect a favor and just rebuild the thing properly. Those connections are junk.

If you want more help I'd recommend taking 30 seconds to draw a sketch of what you're trying to do and posting it. So far this thread is a bunch of guessing. And you still haven't given us a clear goal of what you're trying to figure out other than "the stability of the wall".

 

[Mazhar Amin]

Hi,

I would like to express my gratitude to all the members who have provided their valuable remarks in this thread. I have studied the aspects I was unfamiliar with and have prepared the attached drawings. While I still have much to learn, I welcome your feedback.

I have attached the desing file focuses on minimizing disturbances to the existing conditions like spacing and section of studs are same but need to improve the connection with the beam. If anything is still not up to standard, please feel free to point it out or correct me.

Dold: My responsibility is to assess the existing wall's stability, as its exposure has changed from interior to exterior.