How is building shrinkage affected by skipping floors?
When a continuous rod is utilized, the gap created between the nut and bearing plate is equal to the cumulative shrinkage of all levels below. Therefore, when a restraint does occur, the increased distance between the nut and bearing plate results in increased horizontal drift. In addition, it is possible that the rod may protrude from the top of the building if the shrinkage is excessive. Providing a bearing plate at each level, in combination with using a take-up device, ensures that the shrinkage is compensated for locally and that it doesn’t accumulate up the building.
