Key point to development of environmentally friendly timber structures, appropriate to urban ways of living, is the development of high-rise timber buildings. Comfort properties are nowadays one of the main limitations to tall timber buildings, and an enhanced knowledge on damping phenomena is therefore required, as well as improved prediction models for damping.
The aim of this work has consequently been to estimate various damping quantities in timber structures. In particular, models have been derived for predicting material damping in timber members, beams or panels, or in more complex timber structures, such as floors. Material damping is defined as damping due to intrinsic material properties, and used to be referred to as internal friction. In addition, structural damping, defined as damping due to connections and friction in-between members, has been estimated for timber floors.
Wind-induced dynamic excitation is becoming a governing design action determining size and shape of modern Tall Timber Buildings (TTBs). The wind actions generate dynamic loading, causing discomfort or annoyance for occupants due to the perceived horizontal sway – i.e. vibration serviceability failure. Although some TTBs have been instrumented and measured to estimate their key dynamic properties (natural frequencies and damping), no systematic evaluation of dynamic performance pertinent to wind loading has been performed for the new and evolving construction technology used in TTBs. The DynaTTB project, funded by the Forest Value research program, mixes on site measurements on existing buildings excited by heavy shakers, for identification of the structural system, with laboratory identification of building elements mechanical features coupled with numerical modelling of timber structures. The goal is to identify and quantify the causes of vibration energy dissipation in modern TTBs and provide key elements to FE modelers. The first building, from a list of 8, was modelled and tested at full scale in December 2019. Some results are presented in this paper. Four other buildings will be modelled and tested in spring 2021.
Currently, there is limited knowledge of the dynamic response of taller glue laminated (glulam) timber buildings due to ambient vibrations. Based on previous studies, glulam frame connections, as well as non-structural elements (external timber walls and internal plasterboard partitions) can have a significant impact on the global stiffness properties, and there is a lack of knowledge in modeling and investigation of their impact on the serviceability level building dynamics. In this paper, a numerical modeling approach with the use of “connection-zones” suitable for analyzing the taller glulam timber frame buildings serviceability level response is presented. The “connection-zones” are generalized beam and shell elements, whose geometry and properties depend on the structural elements that are being connected. By introducing “connection-zones”, the stiffness in the connections can be estimated as modified stiffness with respect to the connected structural elements. This approach allows for the assessment of the impact of both glulam connection stiffness and non-structural element stiffness on the dynamic building response due to service loading. The results of ambient vibration measurements of an 18-storey glulam timber frame building, currently the tallest timber building in the world, are reported and used for validation of the developed numerical model with “connection-zones”. Based on model updating, the stiffness values for glulam connections are presented and the impact of non-structural elements is assessed. The updating procedure showed that the axial stiffness of diagonal connections is the governing parameter, while the rotational stiffness of the beam connections does not have a considerable impact on the dynamic response of the glulam frame type of building. Based on modal updating, connections exhibit a semi-rigid behavior. The impact of non-structural elements on the mode shapes of the building is observed. The obtained values can serve as a practical reference for engineers in their prediction models of taller glulam timber frame buildings serviceability level response.
This thesis presents a state of the art on moisture induced stresses in glulam,
complemented with own findings. These are covered in detail in the appended
papers. The first objective was to find a suitable model to describe moisture
induced stresses, in particular with respect to mechanosorption. A review of
existing models led to the conclusion that the selection of correct material
parameters is more critical to obtain reliable results than the formulation of the
mechanosorption model. A series of laboratory tests was thus performed in order
to determine the parameters required for the model and to experimentally
measure moisture induced stresses in glulam subjected to one dimensional
wetting/drying. Special attention was paid to using glulam from the same batch
for all the experimental measurements in order to calibrate the numerical model
reliably. The results of the experiments confirmed that moisture induced stresses are
larger during wetting than during drying, and that the tensile stresses could
clearly exceed the characteristic tensile strength perpendicular to grain.
The world tallest timber building with height of 45 meters, is planned for Bergen, Norway. In this master thesis the dynamic properties of the case building, as proposed by Sweco and Artec, are investigated. The proposed structural concept with a glulam frame and power-storeys, have never previously been built, and it is desirable to develop and understanding of the dynamic problems concerning this building. Previous work have shown problems with acceleration levels for tall timber building, mostly due to the material properties of timber. Timber has high flexibility and strength combined with low weight. The main aim of the work have been to build a 3D-model of the case building in a finite element program, where numerical methods can be used to find the dynamic properties of the building. The wind load and acceleration levels are investigated, and found to be reasonable compared to various criterions presented. The effect of the stiffness in the connections, as well as the use of apartment modules are investigated. In addition a dynamic analysis is run, and stochastic subspace state space system identification is used to verify the model. This can later be used for verification of the actual building when finished, and will be an important method to determine the actual damping and stiffness. Based on the findings in this work, the concept is assumed feasible, possible with some changes an even better concept is achieved. It will be exciting to see how Sweco will develop the concept further in the next planning phase.
Long-span timber floor elements increase the adaptability of a building and they exhibit a significant market potential. High cost of the floor elements is a challenge, and the timber sector is under substantial pressure to find more economical solutions without weakening otherwise favourable environmental performance. The range of technical timber-based materials and components, structural typologies, overlays and ceiling systems represent an immense solution space when searching for a competitive design for a specific building application. Finding the optimum solution requires a computational procedure. In this study a recent development for the accounting of manufacturing resources for timber elements is utilized to build an optimization framework for cost and ECO2 minimisation of timber floor elements finalized at the factory gate. The design of the element is formulated as a discrete optimization problem which is solved by a mixed-integer sequential linearization procedure. Various material combinations and constraint combinations are treated. The optimization framework provides a tool for rapid design exploration that can be used in timber floor design situations. The results of the calculations carried out in this study provide insight on the general trends of optimum floor elements. The optimization model is used to analyse the characteristics of the optimum designs, and a comparison between the current and the proposed method for the second generation of Eurocode 5 is chosen as a vehicle for demonstrating achievable implications.
Over the last decades, the increasing urbanization and environmental challenges have created a demand for mid-rise and high-rise timber buildings in modern cities. The major challenge for mid-rise and high-rise timber buildings typically is the fulfillment of the serviceability requirements, especially limitation with respect to the wind-induced displacements and accelerations. The purpose of the present paper is to evaluate the feasibility and the limitations of moment-resisting timber frames under service load according to the present regulations. The parametric analyses investigate the effects of the rotational stiffness of beam-to-column and column-to-foundation connections, storey number and height, number and length of bays, column cross-section dimensions and spacing between frames on the overall serviceability performance of the frames. Elastic and modal analysis were carried out for a total of 17,800 planar moment-resisting timber frames with different parameters by use of Abaqus Finite Element (abbr. FE) software. Finally, the obtained results were used to derive simple expressions for the lateral displacement, maximum inter-story drift, fundamental eigen-frequency, mode shapes and acceleration.
Stress-laminated timber (SLT) decks in bridges are popular structural systems in bridge engineering. SLT decks are made from parallel timber beams placed side by side and pre-stressed together by means of steel rods. SLT decks can be in any length by just using displaced butt joints. The paper presents results from friction experiments performed in both grain and transverse direction with different levels of pre-stress. Numerical simulations of these experiments in addition to comparisons to full-scale experiments of SLT decks presented in literature verified the numerical model approach. Furthermore, several alternative SLT deck configurations with different amounts of butt joints and pre-stressing rod locations were modelled to study their influence on the structural properties of SLT decks. Finally, some recommendations on design of SLT bridge decks are given.
