Well, I decided to start a new thread to address the engineering implications and potential solutions for brace tension loading. There is a very interesting thread in the general discussion area that may have gone off track because of this discussion.

I know of a few ways to mitigate brace tension, but I’ve had problems finding a balance in my frame designs that will accommodate brace tension. I’ve designed what I consider to be relatively robust and well braced frames and the one issue that gets chased around is brace tension. I’m interested to hear how others accommodate brace tension from an engineering perspective. I’m not a fan of mechanical fasteners and really want to design frames that do not require a shear wall feature to carry lateral loads. I know that SSP’s can carry ‘all’ the shear load and that some post and beam builders will not have any bracing in their homes at all. That’s fine, but I’m interested in stand alone timber frames, frames that do not need additional lateral support to carry wind loads.

Thanks,
pete