Q7.11: According to Section 7.4d, there are no restrictions on the length of the faying surface in connections between wall members. However, it remains unclear whether there is a faying surface limit when gluing wall members to frame members. For example, is it permissible to glue a frame member to the wall member along its entire vertical length?

A: Any member glued to a wall must meet the requirements of Section 7.4a. The glue can only be present at the fraying surface of the individual members. For example, the section states: “any members in contact must have glue between the faying surfaces of the two members.” In addition, “excess glue must be confined […]

Q7.10: The plywood we have acquired for our baseplates comes with a varnish coating. According to Rule 7.11, “the finish on all frame and wall members must be bare wood. Paint or coatings will not be allowed on any portion of the model. Burned surfaces from laser cutting are permitted.” We are wondering if the varnish coating on our plywood baseplate is acceptable, as it is not a frame/wall member and does not affect the performance of our structural model

A: Paint or coating is not allowed on any portion of the model no matter if it is baseplate or not! 

Q7.9: We are requesting clarification for the sentence “An 18.00 in. by 18.00 in. square continuous wooden (Plywood or MDF) base plate will be used to attach the model to the shake table.” Is it permitted to laminate two pieces of plywood together (one on top of the other) to make up the required 0.25 inch to 0.5 inch thickness for the base plate? Furthermore, is it permitted to use dowel pins to connect two pieces of plywood together (one on top of the other) to make up the required 0.25 inch to 0.5 inch thickness for the base plate?

A: Lamination of two plywood plates to make up for the required thickness is accepted as long as there is no space (gap) between the two sheets. On the other hand, dowel pins are not accepted. However, the SLC strongly encourages the team to use a single 0.5-in thick plate if possible.

Q7.7: “A wall member shall span at least 1 in. vertically. Measured parallel to the plane of the base plate, one of the measured dimensions shall measure at least 1 in.” Are we allowed to have triangular or diamond shaped shear walls or does having a vertex (part of shape will be 1in) violate this 1 in rule?

A: The measured dimensions parallel to the base plate must be a minimum of 1 in. A shape with a vertex would not meet those requirements. The wall member can be cut in any way as long as it fits the box dimensions of 0.100 in. by 3.000 in. by 11.000 and meets the minimum […]

Q7.8: Are frame members allowed to be glued on any surface of the wall members? Is there any specification of frame to wall member connections that could result in violations?

A: Any member glued to a wall must meet the requirements of Section 7.4a. The glue can only be present at the fraying surface of the individual members. For example, the section states: “any members in contact must have glue between the faying surfaces of the two members.” In addition, “excess glue must be confined […]