Patent attributes
A framed shear wall has a pair of crossed tension straps passing through the studs that make up the shear wall. The straps are preferably rods and are preferably attached to upstanding plates installed at the corners of the wall. Each of two straps is preferably attached to an opposite side of the upstanding plate such that the straps do not interfere with each other where the straps cross. The straps preferably include threaded ends and the upstanding plates preferably have threaded receptacles sized to accept the threaded ends of the straps such that the straps can be tensioned before and/or after installation. In one embodiment, the upstanding plates are bolted through a bottom surface of the wall into a threaded anchor plate at floor level, and the threaded anchor plate is attached to a top of a wall on a floor below.
