Shear Walls and Structural Integrity

What happens here

With the roof and walls having sheathing, the structure is very strong from front to back, resisting forces along that axis. However, the gable ends (the triangular portions of the walls under the roof trusses) are shown without sheathing in the model. This highlights that, without sheathing, the structure is not strong in that perpendicular direction. Even though gable walls may not bear as much vertical weight as other walls, they carry their own loads and are crucial for shear loads, which are forces that try to distort the structure horizontally. Interior perpendicular walls can also serve as shear walls when properly sheathed and fastened.

Goal: Understand the role of sheathing and shear walls in providing lateral stability to the structure.