Alternative Ledger-Framing Gravity-Load Transfer Details in Cold-Formed Steel Construction

Cold-formed steel (CFS) can be a competitive light-frame solution for low-rise buildings, particularly when noncombustible construction is required. In noncombustible semiballoon frame construction, installation of wall sheathing to the top of a wall such that the sheathing is sandwiched between the floor ledger track and the wall framing has been gaining more interest from contractors—a detail that may affect the shear strength of the ledger-to-wall connection. In this paper, the results from a series of tests aimed at exploring the strength of alternative noncombustible floor-to-wall gravity load shear transfer ledger details—with wall sheathing interposed between the wall framing and the ledger—are presented. Data from the tests permits a comparison of connection performance between the interposed and noninterposed wall sheathing conditions. These comparisons show that the alternative interposed details provide equal or higher strength compared to the noninterposed condition.