For the horizontal stability of wood framed buildings, diaphragm action in the walls is of crucial importance. In wooden houses, such wall panels usually comprise of wood-based sheets nailed on a timber framework. The structural behaviour and capacity of wall diaphragms are primarily dependent on the sheathing-to-timber joints.

Tests on connections between sheathing panel and wood stud were carried out. Different types of sheathing materials and connectors were combined. OSB with different thickness (12 and 15 mm) and gypsum-fibre panel were tested. Ring nails, staples and conventional smooth nails were used to connect the panels to the wooden part.

Monotonic and cyclic destructive testings were performed on different connections to determine how the different systems behave. Particular test configurations were chosen to understand the influence of the presence of two panel connections on the vertical stud.

After the tests, a numerical model was created to simulate the behaviour of a wood framed wall subjected to a horizontal force in plane. Finite element models were built by representing all physical elements in the structure. Each nail and each connection to the foundations were represented. The data obtained from the tests were used to calibrate the model.

A formula suitable to predict the elastic horizontal displacement of the walls was derived analyzing the numerical results.