Project contact is Thomas Miller at Oregon State University
Summary
Understanding how roof and floor systems (commonly called diaphragms by engineers) that are built from Pacific Northwest-sourced cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels perform in earthquake prone areas is a critical area of research. These building components are key to transferring normal and extreme event forces into walls and down to the foundation. The tests performed in this project will provide data on commonly used approaches to connecting CLT panels within a floor or roof space and the performance of associated screw fasteners. Structural engineers will directly benefit through improved modeling tools. A broader benefit may be increased confidence in the construction of taller wood buildings in communities at greater risk for earthquakes.
Project contact is Jean Proulx at Université de Sherbrooke
Summary
This project will involve the modeling of typical multistage buildings and non-linear dynamic analyzes for various seismic hazards (Montreal, Quebec, Charlevoix). The models will be developed using OpenSees, and validated with commercial software (SAFI, SAP2000). The temporal responses of typical buildings, subject to earthquakes generated for the region, will be calculated for different parameters (number of floors, bays, types of SRFS). Pushover type analyzes will also be carried out (rigid frame systems or shear walls). Sectional ductility demands will be evaluated for different types of wood sections and assemblies. These ductility values will be used to target the best wood seismic resistance systems, depending on the type of construction.
Project contact is Christian Dagenais at Université Laval
Summary
The National Building Code of Canada (NBCC, NRC 2015) proposes equations to limit acceleration at the top of a tall building. These equations were developed and validated on several buildings designed between 1975 and 2000. The buildings built during these years are made of concrete or steel. It is therefore not certain that the NBCC equations can be applied for tall wooden buildings; wood being a lighter material than concrete and steel. In this project, the PhD candidate will study the impact of lateral load resistance systems and fastening systems used in timber framing on natural frequency and damping as well as its response due to wind loads. The influence of non-structural elements will also be studied. Two high-rise wooden buildings (Origine, 13 floors in Quebec City and Arbora, 8 floors in Montreal) are currently being instrumented to obtain information on the dynamic behavior of the structure. The measurements taken on these two buildings will be used, among other things, to validate theoretical models developed in the context of the doctorate.
Project contact is Jasmine Wang at the National Research Council Canada
Summary
Currently, only light frame wood-based shearwall and braced and moment-resisting frames are given in the NBC 2015 as acceptable solutions, with the height limit for these SFRSs in high seismic zones being 20 m (6 storeys). There is no acceptable solution for using Timber SFRS in buildings more than 20 m high in high seismic zones. The Tall Wood building projects in Canada have been following the “Alternative Solution” path with supporting test data and analysis that could demonstrate equivalent or better performance than building and fire code or local condition requirements, and were approved on a case-by-case basis by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). The Tall Wood projects have been and will be faced with different level of difficulties and challenges depending on the familiarity of AHJ with tall wood construction. Furthermore, there are no consistent procedure and performance criteria to analyze and evaluate the Timber SFRS in tall mass timber buildings that could be referenced by the AHJ.
This project is to undertake the work related to:
Phase I: development of a Technical Guide with a procedure for evaluation of the seismic performance of Timber SFRS in tall mass timber buildings.
Phase II: evaluation of an example solution of Mass Timber SFRS in accordance with the developed Technical Guide as a “Demo” project.
Project contact is Jean Proulx at Université de Sherbrooke
Summary
While glued-in rods meet a need for refined architectural design, do they respond to a seismic architectural design? Can they prevent destructive damage and ensure recovery efforts given that this system has singular anchor points? Do the braces and diaphragms have the same behavior as in traditional connector systems? Based on the work of Verdet (2016), modeling can identify the a priori behavior followed by a validation test on seismic table.
Project contact is André Barbosa at Oregon State University
Summary
This project develops benchmark data needed to generate design guidelines for structural engineers to calculate strength & stiffness of CLT-diaphragms, with and without concrete toppings. The project includes a full-scale test of a two-story mass timber building at the UC San Diego shake table in collaboration with the larger project, “Development and Validation of a Resilience-based Seismic Design Methodology for Tall Wood Buildings” which features collaborators from throughout the western US and is funded by the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) program of the National Science Foundation.
Project contact is Étienne Marceau at Université Laval
Summary
The objective of this project is to identify the risk factors taken into account in the pricing of an insurance contract for a construction site. This project aims to synthesize the quantitative approaches used in practice and presented in academic research for the pricing of home insurance and commercial insurance. Then, we aim to identify the preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the impact of different perils in the insurance of a construction site in wood or other.
Project contact is André Potvin at Université Laval
Summary
The biomimetic approach in architecture explores the genius of organic natural forms resulting from a long process of environmental adaptation. These forms often have a high compactness and an optimal material / volume ratio in line with the importance of reducing the material in the building to limit its environmental impact in terms of energy and resources. What are the natural forms and processes of growth of the form most appropriate to the physical properties of wood? What design process promotes the integration of a biomimetic approach from the earliest stages of design? Based on a review of the main achievements claiming this approach, this project will develop a taxonomy of the different biomimetic typologies and identify the most promising in the context of a wood realization. A digital manufacturing process will be developed to reflect the complexity of natural shapes and flows in an organic architecture that optimizes environmental performance and aesthetics.
Project contact is Christopher Higgins at Oregon State University
Summary
This project will optimize the strength, stiffness, vibration characteristics, acoustic qualities and fire resistance of cross-laminated floor systems utilizing a composite concrete and cross-laminated timber product. This project includes development, testing and optimization of an economical shear connector (to connect the CLT panel to the concrete slab) that will be compared with existing screw and steel plate solutions. The resulting prototype floor system will be tested at full scale.
Project contact is Arijit Sinha at Oregon State University
Summary
Constructing buildings with CLT requires development of novel panel attachment methods and mechanisms. Architects and engineers need to know the engineering strength properties of connected panels, especially in an earthquake prone area. This project will improve knowledge of three types of wall panel connections: wall-to-floor, wall-to-wall, and wall-to-foundation. Testing will determine the strength properties of metal connectors applied with diffferent types and sizes of screw fasteners. The data will be used to develop a modeling tool that engineers can use when designing multi-story buildings to be constructed with CLT panels.
