Increasing awareness of sustainable building materials has led to interest in enhancing the structural performance of engineered wood products. Wood is a sustainable, renewable material, and the increasing use of wood in construction contributes to its sustainability. Multi-layer wooden panels are one type of engineered wood product used in construction. There are various techniques to assemble multi-layer wooden panels into prefabricated, load-bearing construction elements. Assembly techniques considered in the earliest stages of this research work were laminating, nailing, stapling, screwing, stress laminating, doweling, dovetailing, and wood welding. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) was found to offer some advantages over these other techniques. It is cost-effective, not patented, offers freedom of choice regarding the visibility of surfaces, provides the possibility of using different timber quality in the same panel at different points of its thickness, and is the most well-established assembly technique currently used in the industrial market. Building upon that foundational work, the operational capabilities of CLT were further evaluated by creating panels with different layer orientations. The mechanical properties of CLT panels constructed with layers angled in an alternative configuration produced on a modified industrial CLT production line were evaluated. Timber lamellae were adhesively bonded in a single-step press procedure to form CLT panels. Transverse layers were laid at a 45° angle instead of the conventional 90° angle with respect to the longitudinal layers’ 0° angle. Tests were carried out on 40 five-layered CLT panels, each with either a ±45° or a 90° configuration. Half of these panels were evaluated under bending: out-of-plane loading was applied in the principal orientation of the panels via four-point bending. The other twenty were evaluated under compression: an in-plane uniaxial compressive loading was applied in the principal orientation of the panels. Quasi-static loading conditions were used for both in- and out-of-plane testing to determine the extent to which the load-bearing capacity of such panels could be enhanced under the current load case. Modified CLT showed higher stiffness, strength, and fifth-percentile characteristics, values that indicate the load-bearing capacity of these panels as a construction material. Failure modes under in- and out-of-plane loading for each panel type were also assessed. Data from out-of-plane loading were further analysed. A non-contact full-field measurement and analysis technique based on digital image correlation (DIC) was utilised for analysis at global and local scales. DIC evaluation of 100 CLT layers showed that a considerable part of the stiffness of conventional CLT is reduced by the shear resistance of its transverse layers. The presence of heterogeneous features, such as knots, has the desirable effect of reducing the propagation of shear fraction along the layers. These results call into question the current grading criteria in the CLT standard. It is suggested that the lower timber grading limit be adjusted for increased value-yield. The overall experimental results suggest the use of CLT panels with a ±45°-layered configuration for construction. They also motivate the use of alternatively angled layered panels for more construction design freedom, especially in areas that demand shear resistance. In addition, the design possibility that such 45°-configured CLT can carry a given load while using less material than conventional CLT suggests the potential to use such panels in a wider range of structural applications. The results of test production revealed that 45°-configured CLT can be industrially produced without using more material than is required for construction of conventional 90°-configured panels. Based on these results, CLT should be further explored as a suitable product for use in more wooden-panel construction. / <p>External cooperation: Martinson Group AB and Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE)</p>

Hållbarhet är något som påverkar alla. Det är en utmaning att minska överutnyttjandet av jordens resurser samtidigt som befolkningsmängden ökar. Byggsektorn har en stor påverkan på samhället och står inför flera utmaningar i sitt arbete med att minska klimat- och miljöpåverkan. Materialval är en viktig del då de största utsläppen oftast sker vid tillverkning av byggnadsmaterial.Detta arbete gjordes för att belysa hur viktig konstruktörernas del i hållbarhetsarbetet är och visa att de kan vara med och påverka beställarens beslut. Syftet med examensarbetet var att underlätta hållbarhetsarbetet i projekteringsskedet vid val av stomsystem. Konstruktörer ska kunna visa att grundläggande hänsyn tagits till minskad miljö- och klimatpåverkan. Syftet var också att utreda hur hållbarhetskonsulters analyser av konstruktörers arbete lättare kan utföras.I detta arbete utfördes semistrukturerade intervjuer tillsammans med en enkät för att utreda vilka delar som behövde utvecklas mellan projekteringsprogam och LCA-verktyg för att förenkla utförandet av en livscykelanalys (LCA). Utöver utredningen gjordes en fallstudie på ett referensobjekt i form av tre framtagna alternativ för stommar. Fallstudien utfördes genom en förenklad LCA i projekteringsprogrammet Revit. Den data som användes för de ingående materialen sammanställdes först i en lista med emissionsvärden för klimatpåverkan, ozonnedbrytning, försurning och övergödning. Dessa värden hämtades från olika miljövarudeklarationer (EPD:er) som fanns publicerade i publika databaser. Därefter formades ett ”Schedule” i Revit för att visa miljöpåverkan från de olika stomalternativen direkt i programmet. Listan utformades som en informationsguide och framtagningen av ett ”Schedule” i Revit förklaras grundligt för att konstruktörer ska kunna ta hjälp av detta vid framtida projekteringar för en minskad miljöpåverkan.Resultatet av utredningen visar att många av de utmaningar som tidigare studier har visat fortfarande är aktuella. Bland dessa är kravställandet på projekteringen en av de punkter som nämns mest. Flera förslag på hur kravställandet kan gå till nämns bl.a. genom en matris som vanligtvis används vid kravställande i projekt med BIM-samordning. Vidare ansåg intervjupersonerna att en kravställningsmall bör tas fram för att kunna användas i samtliga projekt, även om inte en LCA ska utföras.Det resultat som fallstudien visar var att stomalternativet i stål är det som påverkar miljön mest i alla kategorier som jämfördes. Träalternativet visade sig inte vara nämnvärt mycket lägre än betongalternativet ur klimatpåverkansperspektiv. Detta på grund av de avväxlingsbalkar i stål som användes för att avlasta det befintliga planet som stommen skulle byggas på. Det visas genom ett cirkeldiagram och analyseras vidare i diskussionen. / Sustainability is something that affect us all. It´s challenging to reduce the over-utilization of the earth’s resources at the same time as the population is increasing. The building sector has a big impact on the society and faces several challenges in the work to reduce climate and environmental impacts. Material choice is an important part because the largest emissions comes from the manufacturing phase.This study was made to highlight the importance of structural engineer’s part in the sustainability work and the impact on the purchaser’s decision. The purpose of this degree project was to support the sustainability work in the design stage when choosing a load bearing structure. The structural engineer could show that basic consideration was taken to reduce the environmental and climate impacts. The purpose was also to investigate how to facilitate sustainability consultants’ assessments of the work delivered by structural engineers.Semi-structured interviews were conducted together with a survey to investigate the parts in need of further development between design programs and LCA-applications in the process to execute and simplify sustainability analysis. Besides the investigation, a case study was made on a reference object. The object had three alternatives of load bearing structures. The case study was performed through a simplified LCA in Revit. The data that was used for the included materials was compiled to a schedule with emission values of climate influences, ozone decomposition, acidification and overfertilization. These emission values were retrieved from different EPD:s hat was published in open access databases. After the emissions were retrieved a schedule was made in Revit that showed the environmental impact for the different structural alternatives.The schedule was designed as a guide and the development of a schedule in Revit is explained thoroughly as guidance for structural engineers in future projects to reduce the environmental impact.The results of the investigation show that a lot of challenges that former studies have shown are still valid. Among these challenges, most of the respondents mentioned the prerequisites for projects to be one of the main points. One of the many proposals on how the setting requirements would take place was through a matrix that often is used in projects with BIM-coordination. Furthermore, the interviewers felt that the requirements for data should be developed for all projects, even though an LCA-analyze is not required.The results from the case study show that structures in steel affected the environment most in all the categories that was compared. The wood option showed that it was not that much lower from a climate impact perspective compared to the concrete option. This was because of the members in steel that was used to unload the existing floor which the structure would build on. This is shown with a pie chart and is further analyzed in the chapter of discussion.

Purpose: With the help of the stricter requirements in the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning's building regulations, knowledge regarding energy consumption must be highlighted, in order to have knowledge of at what stage more focus needs to be placed on further reducing energy use. Method: The data required to perform calculations will be retrieved from case study, document analysis and literature study. Findings: The report's analysis shows that despite stricter energy requirements in BFS 2011: 6, it has no major impact on an energy ratio during a building's life cycle of 50 years.The results show that the stricter requirements for BFS 2011:6 chapter 9 are on the right track to reduce energy consumption over a period of 50 years. Implications: The survey shows that stage B1-7 still accounts for most of the energy use in a building's life cycle. It also shows that the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning is on the right track with the regulations made in BFS 2011: Chapter 6. The results also indicate that further efficiency is possible, and that research can be done on this by testing new technologies and materials in a building. Limitations: The lifespan of a building is divided into three different stages, theconstruction stage, the use stage and the final stage. This work is limited to the first two stages and will therefore not consider the final stage. Keywords: BBR, Energy, Energy consumption, Energy losses, Energy use, Environmental impact, Life cycle analysis, Sustainable construction / Syfte: Med hjälp av de skärpta kraven i Boverkets byggregler har kunskap och förståelse gällande energiåtgång lyfts fram, för att vidare ha kunskap om i vilket skede mer fokus behöver läggas för att ytterligare minska på energianvändningen. Metod: Energiberäkningar har genomförts för att kunna besvara målet. Den data som krävs för att genomföra beräkningar har hämtats från fallstudie, dokumentanalys och litteraturstudie. Resultat: Rapportens analys visar att skärpta energikrav i BFS 2011:6 inte har någonstörre påverkan i ett energiförhållande under en byggnads livscykel på 50 år.Resultatet visar att de skärpta kraven på BFS 2011:6 kap 9 är på rätt spår för att minska energiåtgången under en tidperiod på 50 år. Konsekvenser: Avslutad undersökning visar att användningsstadiet, B1-7, fortfarandestår för majoriteten av energianvändningen i en byggnads livscykel och att Boverket är på rätt spår med de regleringar som gjorts i BFS 2011:6 kap 9. Resultatet tyder även på att ytterligare effektivisering är möjlig och att framtida undersökningar kan göras inomdetta område genom att testa nya tekniker och material i en byggnad.  Begränsningar: En byggnads livslängd är indelad i tre olika skeden, byggskedet, användningsskedet och slutskedet. Detta arbete begränsar sig till de två första skedenaoch tar därmed inte hänsyn till slutskedet. Nyckelord: BBR, Boverkets byggregler, Byggnadslivscykel, Energi, Energianvändning, Energiförbrukning, Energiförluster, Energiåtgång, Hållbart byggande, Klimatpåverkan, LCA, Livscykelanalys, Miljöpåverkan, Nollenergibyggnad, Nollenergihus