Patent ID: 6047503
Filing Date: 2000-04-11
Classification: E04B,E04H,Y02A

Abstract:
A building wall mounted on a building floor and designed to withstand hurricane loads, said building wall comprising:(a) a plurality of framing units with each of said framing units including its own respective top plate, bottom plate and first and second vertical members, said top and bottom plate and first and second vertical members of each of said framing units having a longitudinal axis and a first and a second end and for the plurality of framing units the top and bottom plates are generally of the same length and said vertical members are generally of the same length, and for each framing unit said first vertical member is placed between and adjacent to said top and bottom plates at the first end of said plates and said second vertical member is placed between and adjacent to said top and bottom plates at the second end of said plates, said vertical members being oriented with their longitudinal axes generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axes of said top and bottom plates and said top and bottom plates being attached to said vertical members by means of truss plates which have spikes pressed into said vertical members and into the top and bottom plates to secure said top and bottom plates and said vertical members to each other where they are positioned adjacent one another for rigidity and tensile strength to withstand hurricane loads, each of said framing units positioned to have its bottom plate on said building floor and oriented with its vertical members held vertically, each framing unit being located next to another on a line on said building floor along which said building wall is to be located with a vertical member on one wall framing unit being located immediately adjacent a vertical member of the next adjacent wall framing unit, and(a) means for attaching each framing unit to said building floor, and(b) means for attaching each of said framing units to an adjacent framing unit to form said wall said means for attaching each framing unit to an adjacent framing unit includes an additional top plate placed over the top plates of at least two adjacent framing units and said building wall further comprises means for attaching said additional top plate to said two adjacent framing units to strengthen the wall at the juncture of the two adjacent framing units.