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[Seaintonln(--nospam--at)aol.com]

I want to use proprietary shearwalls on a custom home I am designing. I 
intend to use the Hardy Frames from Simplified Structural Systems. The 
distribution of shear will require the same width frame to be used either 
once or twice in each line of shear (mostly only once). 
Inasmuch as the relative stiffness is uniform throughout the entire structure 
and there are very few irregularities in the structures, would I be justified 
to design by flexible diaphragm? If not, how would I model the Hardy frames - 
these are essentially rectangular cold-formed braced frames using a diagonal 
cold-formed tube steel to resist compression and tension. I know the maximum 
capacity of the frames and the expected deflection at maximum capacity. With 
this knowledge, how would I model the torsion analysis?

Any suggestions?

Dennis S. Wish PE