Lack of research and design information for the seismic performance of balloon-type CLT shear walls prevents CLT from being used as an acceptable solution to resist seismic loads in balloon-type mass-timber buildings. To quantify the performance of balloon-type CLT structures subjected to lateral loads and create the research background for future code implementation of balloon-type CLT systems in CSA O86 and NBCC, FPInnovations initiated a project to determine the behaviour of balloon-type CLT construction. A series of tests on balloon-type CLT walls and connections used in these walls were conducted. Analytical models were developed based on engineering principles and basic mechanics to predict the deflection and resistance of the balloon-type CLT shear walls. This report covers the work related to development of the analytical models and the tests on balloon-type CLT walls that the models were verified against.
This paper presents an investigation of possible disproportionate collapse for a nine-storey flat-plate timber building, designed for gravity and lateral loads. The alternate load-path analysis method is used to understand the structural response under various removal speeds. The loss of the corner and penultimate ground floor columns are the two cases selected to investigate the contribution of the cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and their connections, towards disproportionate collapse prevention. The results show that the proposed building is safe for both cases, if the structural elements are removed at a speed slower than 1 sec. Disproportionate collapse is observed for sudden element loss, as quicker removal speed require higher moments resistance, especially at the longitudinal and transverse CLT floor-to-floor connections. The investigation also emphasises the need for strong and stiff column-to-column structural detailing as the magnitude of the vertical downward forces, at the location of the removed columns, increases for quicker removal.
New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Conference
Research Status
Complete
Notes
April 13-15, 2012, Christchurch, New Zealand
Summary
Driven by sustainability, locally available resources and expertise, and economy, the design of the Carterton Events Centre focused on timber for the majority of the main structural and non-structural components. Combined with a client desire for minimization of earthquake damage, dissipative post-tensioned rocking Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) shear walls (Pres-Lam) were considered for the lateral load resisting system. During design development various structural forms were explored and tested through costing to determine an economic design solution meeting the project drivers. Advanced numerical analyses carried out by the University of Canterbury validated the design process assuring confidence with the design of the technology.
Compared to light-frame wood shear walls, it is relatively difficult for panelized CLT shear walls to achieve similar levels of lateral deflection without paying special attention to design details, i.e., connections. A design lacking ductility or energy dissipating mechanism will result in high acceleration amplifications and excessive global overturning demands for multistory buildings, and even more so for tall wood buildings. Although a number of studies have been conducted on CLT shear walls and building assemblies since the 1990s, the wood design community’s understanding of the seismic behavior of panelized CLT systems is still in the learning phase, hence the impetus for this article and the tall CLT building workshop, which will be introduced herein. For example, there has been a recent trend in engineering to improve resiliency, which seeks to design a building system such that it can be restored to normal functionality sooner after an earthquake than previously possible, i.e., it is a resilient system. While various resilient lateral system concepts have been explored for concrete and steel construction, this concept has not yet been realized for multistory CLT systems. This forum article presents a review of past research developments on CLT as a lateral force-resisting system, the current trend toward design and construction of tall buildings with CLT worldwide, and attempts to summarize the societal needs and challenges in developing resilient CLT construction in regions of high seismicity in the United States.
The work presented in this report is a continuation of the FPInnovations' research project on determining the performance of the CLT as a structural system under lateral loads. As currently there are no standardized methods for determining the resistance of CLT shearwalls under lateral loads, the design approaches are left at the descretion of the designers. The most common approach that is currently used in Europe and North America assumes that the resistance of CLT walls is a simple summary of the shear resistance of all connectors at the bottom of the wall. In this report some new analytical models for predicting the design (factored) resistance of CLT walls under lateral loads were developed based on connection properties. These new models were then evaluated for their consistency along with their models that are currently used in North America and in Europe.
New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Conference
Research Status
Complete
Notes
April 10-12, 2015, Rotorua, New Zealand
Summary
This paper discusses the design of timber diaphragms, in response to the growing interest in multi-storey commercial timber structures, and the lack of guidance or regulations regarding the seismic design of timber diaphragms.
Proper performance of floor diaphragms is required to transfer all lateral loads to the vertical systems that resist them, but design for earthquake loads can be more complex than design for wind loads. This paper confirms that the seismic design of a diaphragm is intimately linked to the seismic design of the whole building. Diaphragm failure, even if restricted to a limited diaphragm portion, can compromise the behaviour of the whole building. It is therefore necessary to design and detail diaphragms for all possible load paths and to evaluate their influence on the load distribution within the rest of the structure. It is strongly recommended that timber diaphragms be designed as elastic elements, by applying dynamic amplification and overstrength factors derived from the lateral load resisting system.
This paper shows that some current design recommendations for plywood sheathing on light timber framing can be applied to massive wood diaphragms, but for more complex floor geometries an equivalent truss method is suggested. Diaphragm flexibility and displacement incompatibilities between the floor diaphragms and the lateral resisting systems also need to be accounted for.
Over the past several decades, the market for ready-to-assemble (RTA) products has grown significantly. RTA kitchen cabinets and furniture are commonplace because they can be shipped flat and assembled on site, which has greatly reduced shipping costs associated with an otherwise voluminous product. Packaged with necessary hardware and instructions, these RTA products are typically easy to assemble and fool proof. The development of a standardized safe room using CLT that is ready to assemble, easy to ship, and quick to fabricate on site would not only increase the level of safety for our population but also increase the market opportunity for these engineered wood products. This research is an extension of research by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, to develop a do-it-yourself safe room constructed from wood that can be incorporated into existing housing and that utilizes commodity wood products.
The objective of this project is to develop a RTA tornado safe room and shelter from CLT for use in existing and new residential and commercial construction.
The advantages of using timber as the primary construction material in mid- and high-rise buildings are undisputed. Timber is sustainable, renewable, and has a very good strength-toweight ratio, which makes it an efficient building material. However, perceived shortcomings with respect to its ductility and system level behavior; along with lack of appropriate design guidance currently limits the use of timber in taller structures. Overcoming these obstacles will allow timber, and its wood product derivatives, to further expand into the multi-storey construction sector - most likely in hybrid-type structures.
The -Finding the Forest Through the Trees (FFTT) system is an innovative timber-steel hybrid system that may allow high-rise timber construction, even in highly seismic regions. The FFTT system utilizes engineered timber products to resist gravity and lateral loads with interconnecting steel members to provide the necessary ductility and predictability for seismic demands.
For a novel hybrid system, such as the FFTT, to gain recognition, experimental data must be gathered and supported by computational modeling and analysis in order to prove its component- and system-level performance. This thesis presents research utilizing nonlinear dynamic analysis of finite element (FE) models of the FFTT system, with properties calibrated to physical component tests, to capture the response under significant wind and seismic loads. From the results presented herein, it appears that the FFTT system can meet the design performance requirements required for seismic loading; however, due to its relatively low weight, may be susceptible to wind induced vibrations. All results are based on Vancouver, BC loading as specified by 2010 the National Building Code of Canada.
Long threaded rods have recently been widely used as a reinforcement of glued laminated timber in perpendicular to the grain direction. The recent research has thus focused mainly on the withdrawal properties of the threaded rods in the axial direction. Utilizing their large withdrawal stiffness and strength, the threaded rods can also effectively be used as connectors in moment resisting timber joints. Yet, in joints, the threaded rods are often imposed to a non-axial loading, due to inclination of the rod axis to the grain as well as loading direction different from the rod axis. No design models are currently available for the combined axial and lateral loading of the threaded rods. In the present work, the effects of the rod-to-grain and load-to-rod angles on capacity and stiffness of the threaded rods are investigated by use of experiments and finite element models. Based on those, analytical expressions for determining stiffness and capacity of axially and laterally loaded threaded rods are proposed, intended as a basis for practical joint design. Furthermore, effect of various boundary conditions applied at the rod-ends is studied.
Second European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology
Research Status
Complete
Notes
August 25-29, 2014, Istanbul, Turkey
Summary
Floor diaphragms have an important role in the seismic behaviour of structures, as inertia forces are generated by their masses and then transferred to the lateral load resisting system. Diaphragms also link all other structural elements together and provide general stability to the structure. As with most other structural components, there is concern about damage to floor diaphragms because of displacement incompatibilities. This paper describes two different experiments on engineered timber floors connected to post-tensioned timber frames subjected to horizontal loading.
First a full scale two-bay post-tensioned frame was loaded with lateral loads through a stressed-skin floor diaphragm. Different connection configurations between the floor units on either side of the central column were tested. Secondly a three dimensional, three storey post-tensioned frame building was tested on a shaking table. The diaphragm consisted of solid timber panels connected to the beams with inclined fully threaded screws. For all tested connections, the diaphragm behaviour was fully maintained throughout the testing and no damage was observed.
The test results showed that careful detailing of the floor panel connections near the beam-columnjoint and the flexibility of timber elements can avoid floor damage and still guarantee diaphragm action at high level of drifts in post-tensioned timber frame buildings.
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