The advantages of the two different building construction materials, timber and concrete, can be used effectively in adhesive-bonded timber-concrete composite constructions. The long-term behavior was investigated experimentally on small-scale shear and bond specimens under artificial, alternating climatic conditions and on fullscale specimens under natural climatic conditions for an application in construction practice. The development of the shear strength and the deformation behavior under permanent loads were studied, focusing on the different material behavior of wood and concrete regarding changes in temperature and moisture. The general applicability of adhesivebonded timber-concrete composites in construction practice was proved in the investigations.
Process parameters of cross-laminated timber (CLT) fabricated with Japanese larch were evaluated. The process parameters were designed by using an orthogonal test including pressure, glue consumption, and adhesive. Both delamination and block shear tests were conducted on CLT in accordance with GB/T 26899 (2011). The results showed that the optimum process parameters were A2B3C2 including pressure (1.2 MPa), glue consumption (200g/m2), and amount of sdhesive (one-component plyurethane). The weight loss and moisture absoption increased when the temperature increased, but the block shear strength decreased as the temperature was raised from 20C to 230C.
The USDA Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) has, for the past two years, been assisting in removing technical barriers to the use of CLT and trying to develop interest in the United States for its utilization. Coincidentally, Promega Corporation, a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry, is currently constructing a new facility in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, that features CLT. This is the first large-scale commercial utilization of CLT in the United States using CLT manufactured in North America. As with any new building system, it is important for the design and construction community to have information on how CLT is installed and how it performs.
The objectives of this research are twofold: (1) to document the CLT installation process with photography and video and (2) to install sensors in the CLT panels and collect data on in-service moisture and temperature conditions.
An experimental study was conducted to elucidate the effects of thermal penetration on delamination and the potential changes in failure mode of CLT. The first test series studied thermal penetration depths at various heat fluxes. The second test series consisted of single lap shear tests at homogeneous elevated temperatures followed by a...
A large-scale fire test was conducted on a compartment constructed from cross laminated timber (CLT). The internal faces of the compartment were lined with non-combustible board, with the exception of one wall and the ceiling where the CLT was exposed directly to the fire inside the compartment. Extinction of the fire occurred without intervention. During the fire test, measurements were made of incident radiant heat flux, gas phase temperature, and in-depth temperature in the CLT. In addition, gas flow velocities and gas phase temperatures at the opening were measured, as well as incident heat fluxes at the facade due to flames and the plume leaving the opening. The fuel load was chosen to be sufficient to attain flashover, to achieve steadystate burning conditions of the exposed CLT, but to minimize the probability of uncertain behaviors induced by the specific characteristics of the CLT. Ventilation conditions were chosen to approximate maximum temperatures within a compartment. Wood cribs were used as fuel and, following decay of the cribs, selfextinction of the exposed CLT rapidly occurred. In parallel with the large-scale test, a small scale study focusing on CLT self-extinction was conducted. This study was used: to establish the range of incident heat fluxes for which self-extinction of the CLT can occur; the duration of exposure after which steady-state burning occurred; and the duration of exposure at which debonding of the CLT could occur. The large-scale test is described, and the results from both the small and large-scale tests are compared. It is found that selfextinction occurred in the large-scale compartment within the range of critical heat fluxes obtained from the small scale tests.
Solid-sawn lumber (Douglas-fir, southern pine, Spruce– Pine–Fir, and yellow-poplar), laminated veneer lumber (Douglas-fir, southern pine, and yellow-poplar), and laminated strand lumber (aspen and yellow-poplar) were heated continuously at 82°C (180°F) and 80% relative humidity (RH) for periods of up to 24 months. The lumber was then reconditioned to room temperature at 20% RH and tested in edgewise bending. Little reduction occurred in modulus of elasticity (MOE) of solid-sawn lumber, but MOE of composite lumber products was somewhat reduced. Modulus of rupture (MOR) of solid-sawn lumber was reduced by up to 50% after 24 months exposure. Reductions in MOR of up to 61% were found for laminated veneer lumber and laminated strand lumber after 12 months exposure. A limited scope study indicated that the results for laminated veneer lumber in edgewise bending are also applicable to flatwise bending. Comparison with previous results at 82°C (180°F)/25% RH and at 66°C (150°F)/20% RH indicate that differences in the permanent effect of temperature on MOR between species of solid-sawn lumber and between solid-sawn lumber and composite lumber products are greater at high humidity levels than at low humidity levels. This report also describes the experimental design of a program to evaluate the permanent effect of temperature on flexural properties of structural lumber, with reference to previous publications on the immediate effect of temperature and the effect of moisture content on lumber properties.
This study evaluated the effects of subfreezing temperatures and moisture content on the shear behavior of glulam beams. Full-scale glulam beams (79 mm by 229 mm deep) at two moisture contents (12 and 28%) and three temperatures (20 °C, 0 °C, and - 40 °C) were tested in four-point bending until failure. Temperature was observed to affect the failure mechanism of the beams, with the beams tested at 0 °C and 20 °C failing in shear and the beams tested at - 40 °C failing in tension. Further, the strengths of the beams and their stiffnesses were observed to increase with decreasing temperature, with these effects being more pronounced in the higher moisture content beams. Over the temperature range of 20 °C to - 40 °C, the 12 percent moisture content beams observed strength and stiffness gains of 17 and 22%, while the 28 percent moisture content beams observed respective gains of 37% and 66%.
The present paper deals with the effect of moisture induced stresses (MIS) on the mechanical performance of a glulam beam of Vihantasalmi Bridge in Finland. MIS caused by high moisture gradients in a cross section of the glulam beam are calculated by a hygro-thermal multi-Fickian model for evaluation of moisture content, relative humidity and temperature in wood that is sequentially coupled with an orthotropic-viscoelasticmechanosorptive model for calculation of wood stresses. Both models, already developed in Abaqus FEM code by some of the authors in their previous works, had to be modified for the Nordic climate. The obtained levels of MIS are then compared to the Eurocode 5 design resistances. The study aims at providing suggestions to future developments of Eurocode 5 for the correct evaluation of the influence of moisture content on service life in timber bridge elements.
