Lateral load performance of SIP walls with full bearing

The purpose of this study was to develop test data needed to characterize lateral load performance of structural insulated panel (SIP) walls with full bearing (restrained). The research program involved structural testing of 29 full-size SIP walls (8 ft tall by 8 ft long) of various configurations that bracket a range of SIP wall configurations commonly used in the field. Results indicated that the cyclic performance parameters for all walls tested in this study met the over-strength and ductility capacities of ICC-ES AC04, although some walls had drift capacities slightly lower than the AC04 criterion. The one exception was the SIP wall without any vertical joints, which showed a significantly low drift capacity.