Project contact is Luca Sorelli at Université Laval
Summary
Hybrid wood-concrete structures are emerging in the multi-storey wood building market, as they provide effective solutions in terms of lightness, rigidity, vibration and fire resistance (Yeoh et al., 2010, Dagenais et al., 2016). This project aims to reduce the cost of these hybrid floors by reducing the time of construction by prefabrication technology with emphasis on use. In addition, the goal is to explore the use of Ultra High Performance Fiber Composite Concrete (UHPC) to reduce the thickness of the wood slab, and also the use of ductile connections to increase the reliability of the floor (Habel and Gauvreau). 2008, Zhang and Gauvreau 2014, Auclair-Cuerrier et al 2016a). Finally, the concrete slab improves the diaphragm behavior of the floor to seismic actions.
Project contact is Luca Sorelli at Université Laval
Summary
To minimize the built-in energy of the floor, we need to replace the current system with lighter solutions that retain the key features for robustness and maintenance, and are cost-effective and easy to build (Spadea et al., 2015). This project aims to explore innovative flooring solutions that make up a light wood load-bearing structure reinforced underneath by naturally occurring polymeric fibers (FRP) (Bencardino and Condello 2016), which work well in tension, and above an Ultra-Thin Ultra High Performance Concrete Slab (UHPC) that works exceptionally well in compression. Considering the application of very large floors in multi-storey buildings, the following key questions will be addressed: 1) what form should such a system have, 2) how will this be analyzed, and what mode of failure will be desirable? (3) what practical limitations would be imposed by constructability, (4) what would be the gain on economic cost and environmental impact from a life cycle analysis point of view, and (5) is possible to use biosourced epoxy for connections. The methodology consists of: (i) systems analysis and shape optimization using finite element numerical techniques, (ii) connection shear tests, and (iii) proof of concept on a beam prototype.
