Project contacts are Shiling Pei (Colorado School of Mines) and Samuel L. Zelinka (Forest Products Laboratory)
Summary
This project will generate three benchmark data sets for multistory CLT building moisture performance in different climate zones. Data will include moisture contents at key wood components and high moisture risk locations throughout the buildings. A relatively simple, but fully validated, numerical model for analyzing similar building moisture performance will be recommended. These results will be useful for structural engineers and architects to accurately consider moisture in their design of mass timber buildings.
Hygrothermal Modelling Benchmark: Comparison of hygIRC Simulation Results with Full Scale Experiment Results (Report to Research Consortium for Wood and Wood-Hybrid Mid-Rise Buildings)
hygIRC 1D and 2D are hygrothermal simulation models developed at NRC Construction. hygIRC 1D is a one-dimensional version of hygIRC 2D. The objective of the task described in this report was to compare the results derived from the use the hygrothermal simulation models hygIRC 1D and hygIRC 2D to the results of a laboratory experiment (conducted as part of Task 5) to measure the drying rate of a specific wall assembly when subjected to nominally steady state conditions in an environmental chamber. The intended outcome was to duplicate the laboratory results as closely as possible as a means of benchmarking the simulation models both of which were subsequently used as part of the parametric simulation task (Task 6).
Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology
Research Status
Complete
Summary
Cross laminated timber (CLT) and mass timber construction is a promising structural technology that harnesses the advantageous structural properties of wood combined with renewability and carbon sequestering capacities not readily found in other major structural materials. However, as an organic material, mass timber is susceptible to biodeterioration, and when considered in conjunction with increased use of engineered wood materials, particularly in more extreme environments and exposures, it requires careful assessments to ensure long-term performance.
A promising approach towards reducing construction moisture in CLT and other mass timber assemblies is to protect the surfaces with a water-resistant coating. To assess this approach, a calibrated hygrothermal model was developed with small and large scale CLT samples, instrumented with moisture content sensors at different depths, and treated with different types of water resistant coatings exposed to the Vancouver climate. The models were further validated with additional moisture content sensors installed in a mock-up floor structure of an actual CLT building under construction. Biodeterioration studies assessing fungal colonization were undertaken using the modified VTT growth method and a Dose-Response model for decay potential.
The research indicates that CLT and mass timber is susceptible to dangerously high moisture contents, particularly when exposed to liquid water in horizontal applications. However, a non-porous, vapour impermeable coating, when applied on dry CLT, appears to significantly reduce the moisture load and effectively eliminate the risk of biodeterioration. This work strongly suggests that future use of CLT consider applications of a protective water-resistant coating at the manufacturing plant to resist construction moisture. The fungal study also highlights the need for a limit state design for biodeterioration to countenance variance between predicted and observed conditions.
This study aims to generate moisture performance data for several configurations of highly insulated woodframe walls meeting the RSI 3.85 (R22 eff) requirement for buildings up to six storeys in the City of Vancouver. The overarching goal is to identify and develop durable exterior wood-frame walls to assist in the design and construction of energy efficient buildings across the country. Wall panels, each measuring 1200 mm wide and 2400 mm tall, form portions of the exterior walls of a test hut located in the rear yard of the FPInnovations laboratory in Vancouver. Twelve wall panels in six types of wall assemblies are undergoing testing in this first phase. This report, first in a series on this study, documents the initial construction and instrumentation.
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels are increasingly used in mid-rise buildings or even taller structures in North America. However, prolonged exposure to moisture during construction and in service is a durability concern for most wood products including CLT. To investigate practical solutions for reducing on-site wetting of mass timber construction, CLT specimens with a range of moisture protection measures, in six groups were tested in the backyard of FPInnovations’ Vancouver laboratory from Oct. 2017 to Jan. 2018. This study investigates the wetting and drying behaviours of the tested CLT specimens through 2-D hygrothermal simulations. The simulations are performed for base specimens (no protection measures) of group 1 (without joint or plywood spline) and group 2 (with a butt joint and plywood spline). For group 1, three data sources of material properties are used to create the models, and the data that led to the best agreement between simulations and measurement are used for creating the models of group 2. For group 2, two types of hygrothermal models are created with or without considering the differences in water absorption between the transverse and the longitudinal grain orientations. In addition, rain penetration is taken into account for the joint area. It is found that the model with considering the differences between transverse and longitudinal grain orientations shows a better agreement than that without considering such differences.
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