Auburn University’s (AU) School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences (SFWS) in Alabama actively works to increase awareness of the benefits of CLT along with hybrid systems for more widespread adoption in multiple building segments. AU’s two-year project proposal outlines a plan that will establish a preliminary design for the usage of a timber-steel composite system, utilizing CLT or laminated veneer lumber (LVL), as an option that will replace reinforced concrete slabs to improve the structural performance for buildings six stories or more.
Project contact is Kadir Sener at Auburn University
Summary
While the emphasis in the timber industry understandably focuses predominately
on complete mass timber structures, opportunities to substantially expand the mass timber
market exist using composite timber-steel systems. Timber-steel composite systems have a
high potential to be an economically, architecturally, and structurally feasible system to
expand the usage of timber panels for mid-rise and high-rise structures where mass timber is
currently not a feasible option. In this novel system, prefabricated timber panels replace
reinforced concrete slabs to provide the floor and diaphragm elements that work compositely
with steel beams and to improve the structural performance compared to either individual
material. Considerable testing effort outside the US has explored the feasibility and benefits
of these composite systems. This has led to implementation of this novel system on a number
of international construction projects. However, the topic has not been assimilated by
researchers and practitioners in the US. Hence, this proposal focuses on identifying and
removing barriers and providing design guidance on using steel-timber composite systems in
US construction. The proposal: (i) Engages a diverse body of stakeholders in an advisory panel
and workshop, (ii) Completes engineering-based testing and analysis to demonstrate
feasibility, (iii) Performs constructability studies (i.e., construction cost, speed, env. impact),
and (iv) Establishes preliminary design guidelines and approaches. The goal of the project will
be to demonstrate the performance and economy of a timber-steel composite system(s) and
establish preliminary design guidelines and approaches for target stakeholders. Ultimately,
the project will develop experimentally validated design-detailing configurations and
establish design specifications for new mass timber markets in multiple construction sectors.
An innovative timber-steel hybrid beam consisting of glulam mechanically reinforced by means of steel rod: Analytical and preliminary numerical investigations
There is an increasing interest in large-dimensional timber structural elements within the construction sector in order to fulfil the combined demand of sustainability, open spaces and architectural flexibility. Current timber technology allows for efficient production of long-size beams, but many problems are related to their overall high costs due to difficulties in transportation, manufacturing on site and handling during the mounting phase. Hence, the aim of this work is to propose and study an innovative timber-steel hybrid structural element composed of shorter pieces of beams connected and reinforced by means of a system consisting of steel shear keys and steel rods. The small timber elements and steel devices can be prefabricated with low costs and easily assembled into large elements at the construction sites. The proposed system can also be used for retrofitting of existing timber members when it is necessary to increase their strength, stiffness and ductility. The structural behavior of the proposed system was therefore studied both as a connection and as a retrofitting technique, which were analyzed via two types of hybrid beams, one with a splice at mid-span and one without, separately. A simple glulam beam with the same geometrical characteristics of the two hybrid structures was also investigated for the comparison of the structural behavior. The analytical results show that the hybrid beams with and without splice have both obtained significant increasement in the stiffness, strength and ductility. The numerical analyses are limited in the elastic stage due to the elastic mechanical properties assigned to the structural components. The numerical results show good agreement with the analytical ones for each type of beam in terms of the stiffness in the elastic stage. Finally, the influence of the parameters such as the distance between shear keys, slip modulus of shear keys and diameter of rod, on the structural behavior of hybrid beams is discussed in this paper.
Advanced sustainable lateral load resisting systems that combine ductile and recyclable materials offer a viable solution to resist seismic load effects in environmentally responsible ways. This paper presents the seismic response of a post-tensioned timber-steel hybrid braced frame. This hybrid system combines glulam frame with steel braces to improve lateral stiffness while providing self-centreing capability under seismic loads. The proposed system is first presented. A detailed numerical model of the proposed system is then developed with emphasis on the connections and inelastic response of bracing members. Various types of braced frames including diagonal, cross and chevron configurations are numerically examined to assess the viability of the proposed concept and to confirm the efficiency of the system. A summary of initial findings is presented to demonstrate usefulness of the hybrid system. The results demonstrate that the proposed system increases overall lateral stiffness and ductility while still being able to achieve self-centring. Some additional information on connection details are provided for implementation in practical structures. The braced-frame solution is expected to widen options for lateral load resisting systems for mid-to-high-rise buildings.
This paper examines CLT-steel hybrid systems at three, six, and nine storey heights to increase seismic force resistance compared to a plain wood system. CLT panels are used as infill in a steel moment frame combining the ductility of a steel moment frame system with a stiffness and light weight of CLT panels. This system allows for the combination of high strength and ductility of steel with high stiffness and light weight of timber. This thesis examines the seismic response of this type of hybrid seismic force resisting system (SFRS) in regions with moderate to high seismic hazard indices. A detailed non-linear model of a 2D infilled frame system and compared to the behavior of a similar plain steel frame at each height.
Parametric analysis was performed determining the effect of the panels and the connection configuration, steel frame design, and panel configuration in a multi-bay system. Static pushover loading was applied alongside semi-static cyclic loading to allow a basis of comparison to future experimental tests. Dynamic analysis using ten ground motions linearly scaled to the uniform hazard spectra for Vancouver, Canada with a return period of 2% in 50 years as, 10% in 50 years, and 50% in 50 years to examine the effect of infill panels on the interstorey drift of the three, six, and nine storey. The ultimate and yield strength and drift capacity are determined and used to determine the overstrength and ductility factors as described in the National Building Code of Canada 2010.
This paper presents a finite element modeling case study of three different designs of hybrid timber-steel 6-story buildings. One of the buildings is composed by steel frames and timber diaphragms while the other two cases consist of the initial design with timber shear walls added in different dispositions, one with outer walls and the other...
The focus of this research is the connection between steel frame and the infill wall. Over 100 conventional bracket-type connections with various combinations of bracket and fasteners with cross-laminated timber were tested, investigated and assessed for damage under seismic loading protocols for a hybrid application. An energy-based formulation according to Krätzig was applied to calculate the development of the damage index, and the resulting index was validated with visual observation. Six of the connections were modeled in OpenSees. For the modeling, a CUREE-10 parameter model was chosen to reproduce the test curves. The load-displacement results from both test and model were analyzed; the first method according to ASTM standards, where the envelope curve of the hysteretic results are considered and plotted in an equivalent energy elastic-plastic curve (EEEP). The second analyzing method used, was Krätzig’s damage accumulation model. Throughout all six combinations and both loading directions (parallel- and perpendicular-to-the-grain) a major difference was found in the analyzing methods. The EEEP curve roughly approximates the performance but with the damage accumulation method showed that analysis of the subsequent cycles is required to better reflect the empirical performance of the connections. To avoid the extensive destruction of a bracket type connection after completion of seismic loadings, a new approach was chosen. It was found that a tube connection can obtain comparably similar strength results as a conventional bracket connection. The computed mechanical properties of bracket-type and tube-type connections were compared and evaluated. The new tube connection showed great potential for future timber-steel hybrid structures and their connecting challenge. A total of 27 connection assemblies were tested under quasi-static monotonic and reversed cyclic loads. The tube connections showed two major differences when compared to traditional bracket connections: i) the completely linear elastic behaviour at the beginning, and ii) the continued load increase after yielding. Both phenomena are founded in the geometry of that connector effectively making the novel connector a very promising alternative.
International Specialty Conference on Behaviour of Steel Structures in Seismic Areas
Research Status
Complete
Notes
January 9-11, 2012, Santiago, Chile
Summary
A steel-wood hybrid system furnishes not only aesthetically pleasing and sustainable hybrid structures but is superior in seismic applications due to the light weight, high resistance, and adjustable ductility. Such hybrid structural systems are not covered by any material and structural design standards that hinder the general implementation. For light structures, a builder’s guide to hybrid wood and steel connection details already exists in North America. Despite the obvious advantages, however, today’s applications of steel-wood hybrid structures have been limited. Rare hybrid buildings with a concentrically braced frame used for lateral load resistance with a glulam timber floor slab have been built as prototypes. The use of glulam floor slab led to a substantially reduced self-weight, compared with the reinforced concrete slab option. The lighter structure behaves superior in seismic events and has made wind loads the governing design case. The next generation steel-wood hybrid structures should optimally utilize each material. This paper describes a research program of the next generation wood-steel hybrid structures should optimally utilize each material. In detail the following development issues will be addressed: innovative hybrid steel-wood building systems, technical tools to predict structural responses of hybrid systems, design principles underpinning the definition of key code provisions related to strength and serviceability performance of hybrid buildings. It will be highlighted that potential structural problems at the design stage result from material incompatibilities. The constitutive properties of each material, hybrid-material, and joint properties reported in the literature will be used, or supplemented by findings from experimental work.
This study proposes an iterative direct displacement based design method for a novel steel-timber hybrid structure. The hybrid structure incorporates Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) shear panels as an infill in steel moment resisting frames. The proposed design method is applied to design 3-, 6-, and 9-story hybrid buildings with three bays and CLT infilled middle bay. Nonlinear time history analysis, using twenty earthquake ground motion records, is carried out to validate the performance of the design method. The results indicate that the proposed method effectively controls the displacements due to seismic excitation of the hybrid structure.
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.
