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.
This paper investigates the risk of disproportionate collapse following extreme loading events. The methodology mimics a sudden removal of a loadbearing wall of a twelve-storey CLT building. The ductility-demand from the dynamic simulation is checked against the ductility supplied by the structural components and their connections. The analyses focus on rotational stiffness (k) of the joints by considering three different sub-structural idealisations according to the required modelling details and the feasibility of model reductions. To resist the imposed dynamic forces, the required k-values may be too large to be practically achieved by means of off-the-shelf brackets and screw connections. Improved structural detailing as well as adequate thickness of structural elements need to be considered in order to reduce the probability of disproportionate collapse.
The use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in residential and non-residential buildings is becoming increasingly popular in North America. While the 2016 supplement to the 2014 edition of the Canadian Standard for Engineering Design in Wood, CSAO86, provides provisions for CLT structures used in platform type applications, it does not provide guidance for the in-plane stiffness and strength of CLT shearwalls. The research presented in this paper investigated the in-plane stiffness and strength of CLT shearwalls with different connections for platform-type construction. Finite element analyses were conducted where the CLT panels were modelled as an orthotropic elastic material, and non-linear springs were used for the connections. The hysteretic behaviour of the connections under cyclic loading was calibrated from quasi-static tests; the full model of wall assemblies was calibrated using experimental tests on CLT shearwalls. A parametric study was conducted that evaluated the change of strength and stiffness of walls with the change in a number of connectors. Finally, a capacity-based design procedure is proposed that provides engineers with guidance for designing platform-type CLT buildings. The philosophy of the procedure is to design the CLT buildings such that all non-linear deformations and energy dissipation occurs in designated connections, while all other connections and the CLT panels are designed with sufficient over-strength to remain linear elastic.
Glued-in-rods (GiR) represent a class of joints being used in timber engineering that are mostly used to transfer axial loads in structural members with Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymers (G-FRP) increasingly being considered as rod material. The primary objective of the research presented herein was to apply a probabilistic capacity prediction method to timber joints with G-FRP GiR. The experimental campaign was specific in two ways: firstly, G-FRP rods were bonded into both ends of the timber block with both ends being tested to failure; and secondly, as opposed to most previous studies exhibiting stiff adhesives, a ductile Polyurethane with markedly non-linear behaviour was used. All material characterisation was performed with methods that can be reproduced by any standard laboratory equipment, to provide parameters for the subsequent numerical analyses. Based thereupon, a probabilistic method was used and provided reasonably accurate predictions of the joint capacities of 25 different geometrical GiR configurations. The probabilistic method was extended for realistic estimations of the experimental capacity scattering in form of upper and lower quantiles.
‘Mass timber’ engineered wood products in general, and cross-laminated timber in particular, are gaining popularity in residential, non-residential, as well as mid- and high-rise structural applications. These applications include lateral force-resisting systems, such as shear walls. The prospect of building larger and taller timber buildings creates structural design challenges; one of them being that lateral forces from wind and earthquakes are larger and create higher demands on the ‘hold-downs’ in shear wall buildings. These demands are multiple: strength to resist loads, lateral stiffness to minimize deflections and damage, as well as deformation compatibility to accommodate the desired system rocking behaviour during an earthquake. In this paper, contemporary and novel hold-down solutions for mass timber shear walls are presented and discussed, including recent research on internal-perforated steel plates fastened with self-drilling dowels, hyperelastic rubber pads with steel rods, and high-strength hold-downs with self-tapping screws.
The research presented in this paper examines the shear resistance performance of self-tapping screws (STS) in three-ply cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. Specifically, the feasibility of using innovative STS assemblies with double inclination of fasteners was investigated for the shear connection of CLT panels. The specimens (1.5×1.5 m) were subjected to quasi-static and reversed-cyclic loading. The tests were set up to approximate pure shear loading, with three-panel CLT assemblies connected with STS. The resulting load-displacement and hysteretic curves were used to determine an equivalent energy elastic-plastic curve to estimate assembly capacity, yield load, yield displacement, ductility ratio, stiffness, and damping. Excellent structural performance in terms of capacity and stiffness was obtained while still providing the required ductility for the system to be used in seismic applications. The average static and cyclic yield loads were 6.0 kN/screw and 5.9 kN/screw, respectively. Average static and cyclic and ductility ratios were 7.7 and 4.1, respectively, allowing the connection to be classified as highly ductile under quasi-static loading and moderately ductile under reversed cyclic loading. The data obtained allow engineers to specify an innovative connection assembly with double inclination of fasteners for lateral load–resisting systems of CLT structures.
This paper contains the research results of a study related to developing an approach to estimate the deflection of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) shear walls for platform-framed construction. In order to account for the total deflection at the top of the wall, the contributions of connections and the CLT panels are considered. The connection contributions are accounted for through wall sliding and rocking, whereas the contribution of the CLT panels is estimated from the bending and shear deformation under lateral loading. The influence of perpendicular walls and floors above on the in-plane deflection of CLT shear wall is also investigated. A step by step procedure to estimate the deflection of CLT shear walls without and with perpendicular walls and floors above is discussed with examples.
The construction of mid- and high-rise wooden buildings has attracted more attention in the last decade, particularly due to the utilization of engineered materials and related construction methods. The wood industry offers a wide range of engineered wood products, such as glue-laminated timber (GLT), cross-laminated timber (CLT) or timber concrete composites (TCC), which have improved mechanical qualities and the freedom to select shapes and sizes. As a consequence, attention has shifted to solve structural design issues to meet specific building requirements, such as their seismic, fire and serviceability performance. The objective of this work is to explore some of the technologies currently available for wooden mid-rise buildings using a 5-storeys case study building under gravity and earthquake loads. An innovative construction method, obtained by combining TCC floors, CLT shear-walls and GLT columns to ensure a fast erection on site is presented and the building response analyzed by means of static and dynamic seismic analyses. Specifically, the gravity load resisting system was designed to meet ultimate and serviceability limit state requirements according to Eurocode. Different seismic bracing technologies are compared: CLT cores (i) and hybridized cores with (ii) post-tensioned tendons and (iii) steel link-beams.
The diaphragmatic behaviour of floors represents one important requirement for earthquake resistant buildings since diaphragms connect the lateral load resisting systems at each floor level and transfer the seismic forces to them as a function of their in-plane stiffness. This paper presents an innovative hybrid timber-steel solution for floor diaphragms developed by coupling cross-laminated timber panels with cold-formed custom-shaped steel beams. The floor consists of prefabricated repeatable units which are fastened on-site using pre-loaded bolts and self-tapping screws, thus ensuring a fast and efficient installation. An experimentally validated numerical model is used to evaluate the influence of the; i) in-plane floor stiffness; ii) aspect ratio and shape of the building plan; and iii) relative stiffness and disposition of the shear walls, on the load distribution to the shear walls. The load transfer into walls and lateral deformation of the construction system primarily depend on the adopted layouts of shear walls, and for most cases an in-plane stiffness of floors two times larger than that of walls is recommended.
