Timber-concrete composite (TCC) floor systems consist of a bottom layer of wood that is connected to a top layer of concrete using shear connectors. The shear connectors resist slip between the layers, thus allowing wood and concrete develop composite action when subjected to flexure. The objective of this study is to determine the flexural strength and behavior of TCC floor systems that consist of a cross laminated timber wood layer connected to a concrete top layer using hexagonally headed self-tapping screw shear connectors. To accomplish the objective, coupon specimens and full-scale TCC floor panels were tested, and a finite element modelling approach was developed. The coupon tests were used to determine the stiffness of the shear connection and to determine the effect of the screw configuration. The results from the coupon tests indicated that the inclined screw configuration provided the largest shear strength compared to the normal, crossed, and nested screw configurations. Based on the results from the coupon tests, bending and vibration (heel drop) tests were conducted on full-scale panel specimens with an inclined screw configuration and with a strong-axis panel orientation. The results from the full-scale panel tests showed that the flexural stiffness and strength of the TCC floor system was consistent and that the composite floor panels have adequate stiffness to minimize transient floor vibrations that are caused by walking for typical span lengths and typical loading. A finite element model of TCC floor systems was developed to simulate TCC floor systems and calibrated with the test data. The simulated response matched the test response fairly well for partially composite single-span and double-span panels. Additional refinement of the model is needed to better match fully composite panels. The research demonstrated that hexagonal-headed self-tapping screws may be effectively used to connect wood and concrete layers in TCC floor systems.

How can we as design professionals contribute to increase the use of less carbon-intensive materials to build our growing cities? Cities are experiencing a resurgence in population growth and therefore the building industry ought to attend this demand with sustainable solutions. One way of responding to the growing urban population and increase demand for housing as well as to make efficient use of our limited resources is to increase the density in our cities. Since steel and concrete have high material strengths, we currently use either steel, concrete or composites of them to build skyscrapers. Unfortunately, both of these materials have a large carbon footprint. The design community has the challenge to achieve net-zero emissions buildings by the year 2030, and the efforts now should be focused on using less carbon intensive materials, such as timber. While cultures around the world have built with wood for centuries, recent technological innovations, such as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), is allowing for new applications of wood as the main structural material and the potential to use it for large-scale projects. However, as expected with a new building material some constrains have still to be overcome. For my thesis, I desired to explore this issue through the design of a tall building using mass timber as its main structural material. Engineered timber is here, the future is bright! / Master of Architecture

Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) combines layers of dimension lumber in alternating grain direction to form a mass timber panel that can be used to create entire wall, floor and roof elements. The viability of CLT as an element to resist lateral forces from racking has been of great interest (Dujic et al. 2004, Blass and Fellmoser 2004, and Moosbrugger et al. 2006). However, most research to date has been conducted on full-scale wall panels connected with proprietary fasteners according to European Test Methods. Little research has focused on non-proprietary connections, including nails, bolts and lag screws. The behavior of CLT full-scale wall panels is dependent upon the individual connection properties including the panel-panel connections between adjoining CLT panels within the wall. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the behavior of three small-scale CLT connection configurations using non-proprietary fasteners. Three different connections -LVL surface spline with lag screws, half-lap joint with lag screws, and butt joint with a steel plate fastened with nails - were tested in both monotonic and cyclic tests. In all, 30 connection tests were conducted, with 15 monotonic test and 15 cyclic tests. Connection strength, stiffness, and ductility were recorded for each connection. Experimental values were compared to National Design Specification for Wood Construction, or NDS (AWC 2012) predictions for connection strength. Nailed steel plate connections yielded much greater loads and behaved in a more ductile manner than did the lag screwed connections. The surface spline and half-lap connections often failed in a catastrophic manner usually due to splitting of the spline and fastener failure. Experimental results were generally lower than predicted by the yield models for the surface spline and steel plate connections. The half-lap connection resulted in higher experimental results than predicted. A discussion of the connection strength for materials with a non-homogeneous grain direction is also included. / Master of Science

Painéis de Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) consistem em um elemento construtivo relativamente novo no cenário da construção civil internacional. No Brasil, a fabricação desta tecnologia iniciou-se há cerca de seis anos. Em razão de sua incipiente utilização em território nacional, não se formou ainda bibliografia consistente a seu respeito, suscitando questionamentos sobre o desempenho dos painéis ao longo da vida útil da edificação. Deve-se ressaltar também que o elemento construtivo estudado consiste em uma inovação, associada à pré-fabricação e a técnicas de fabricação digital, diferenciando-se das tecnologias convencionais com as quais arquitetos e projetistas estão acostumados a projetar. Consequentemente, observam-se frequentes dúvidas não apenas sobre o desempenho dos painéis, mas também associadas a como projetar, de forma eficaz e apropriada, um edifício em CLT. Logo, surge o interesse em aprofundar os estudos acerca da tecnologia, com o intuito de propor, ao final da pesquisa, recomendações para projetos arquitetônicos que visem incorporar painéis de CLT de produção brasileira. Dessa forma, estudou-se tanto o desempenho do elemento construtivo, no que diz respeito à segurança estrutural e à durabilidade, conforme a ABNT NBR 15575:2013, quanto o processo construtivo de edificações em CLT. Para a análise de desempenho mencionada foram realizados os seguintes ensaios laboratoriais: retenção e penetração do produto preservativo na matéria-prima utilizada para a fabricação dos painéis nacionais; impacto de corpo mole, impacto de corpo duro e determinação da resistência do painel às solicitações de peças suspensas; estanqueidade à água; verificação do comportamento do painel exposto à ação de calor e choque térmico; ensaios de delaminação. Ao final, em vista de inconformidades apontadas em alguns ensaios, constatou-se a necessidade de assegurar a qualidade no tratamento da matéria-prima e na colagem das lamelas, de modo a garantir a devida vida útil da edificação. Concluiu-se, também, que o CLT se apresenta, de fato, como uma alternativa extremamente promissora na construção civil. Contudo, seu emprego, deve ser planejado de maneira a se compreender e respeitar a intrínseca relação existente entre suas etapas construtivas e as soluções técnicas e arquitetônicas, para que se garanta adequado desempenho da edificação em uso. / Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels are a relatively new building component to the international construction sector. Their production in Brazil started around six years ago. Since its use is still scarce in the country, academic and technical references are still rare and there are uncertainties about the performance of the panels during the life of the building. In addition, CLT can be considered as an innovation, which is associated to pre-fabrication and digital technologies, being consequently different from usual building techniques. Therefore, the doubts concern not only the panels performance but also the appropriate design of the CLT building. In order to provide recommendations for architectural designs which will use Brazilian CLT panels, this research aims to extend the investigation of CLT in Brazil. The study focuses on structural performance and durability of CLT panels, according to the Brazilian regulation ABNT NBR 15575, and on the construction process of CLT buildings. The performance analysis is based on the following laboratory tests: retention and penetration of the wood preservatives used in the panels manufacture; soft body impact and hard body impact tests and suspended pieces loading tests; water tightness; heat and thermal shock test; delamination tests. Some of the tests results showed nonconformities. This indicates the importance of a quality control process of the wood preservation treatment and bonding of CLT layers, to ensure the proper performance of the building. In conclusion, CLT panels are indeed a promising alternative to the construction sector. However, its use must respect the intrinsic relation between construction steps, as well as technical and architectural solutions, in order to guarantee adequate performance of the CLT building.

Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) is an engineered wood product made by laminating dimensional or structural composite lumber in alternating orthogonal layers. Compared to Canada and Europe, CLT is a novel product to the US. With the additions included in the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), CLT material properties, especially rolling shear, would need to be explored. The increasing demand for softwood lumber, along with the increase of demand of CLT panel production, could place a burden and surpass the domestic softwood supply. Rolling shear is a phenomenon that occurs when the wood fibers in the cross-layers roll over each other because of the shearing forces acting upon a CLT panel when it is loaded out-of-plane. This study used the two-plate shear test from ASTM D2718 to measure the rolling shear properties of various southeastern US wood species: southern pine, yellow-poplar, and soft maple. A secondary study was conducted, using the same two-plate shear test, to measure the rolling shear properties of re-manufactured southern pine for CLT cross-layer application. The soft maple had the greatest average rolling shear strength at 5.93 N/mm2 and southern pine had the lowest average rolling shear strength at 2.51 N/mm2. Using a single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA), the rolling shear strength values from soft maple were significantly greater than yellow-poplar, which was significantly greater than the southern pine. For the rolling shear modulus, the southern pine and soft maple were of equal statistically significant difference, and both were greater statistically significant different compared to the yellow-poplar. The most common failure found from testing was rolling shear. / Master of Science / Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) is an engineered wood panel product, similar to plywood, constructed with solid-sawn or structural composite lumber in alternating perpendicular layers. The additions included in the incoming 2021 International Building Code (IBC) has placed an importance in expanding the research related to the mechanical and material properties of CLT. Also, with the increasing demand for softwood lumber and CLT panel production, the demand for the domestic softwood lumber could place a burden and surpass the domestic softwood supply. Rolling shear is a failure type that occurs when the wood fibers in the cross-layers roll over each other because of the shearing forces acting upon a CLT panel. This study used the two-plate shear test to measure the rolling shear properties of various southeastern US wood species: southern pine, yellow-poplar, and soft maple. A secondary study was conducted, using the same two-plate shear test, to measure the rolling shear properties of re-manufactured southern pine for CLT cross-layer application. The soft maple had the greatest average rolling shear strength at 5.93 N/mm2 and southern pine had the lowest average rolling shear strength at 2.51 N/mm2. Using a single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA), the rolling shear strength values from soft maple were significantly greater than yellow-poplar, which was significantly greater than the southern pine. For the rolling shear modulus, the southern pine and soft maple were of equal statistically significant difference, and both were greater statistically significant different compared to the yellow-poplar. The most common failure found from testing was rolling shear.

This report deals with the fire resistance of cross-laminated timber (CLT). Themain purpose is to verify a new model on CLT and its ability to sustain itsbearing capacity when exposed to fire. To establish this, a series of bendingtestshas been conducted in combination with fire exposure of the CLT. Twodifferent series, with different dimensions, of beams were tested (series 1 andseries 2). Four basic set-ups: CLT in tension or compression, either equippedwith fire protective covering or not. Results from the tests has been gatheredand evaluated to verify the theoretical model of the fire resistance. Evaluationwas made through analysis of the residual cross-sections of the beamsregarding charring depth and rate and moment of inertia (I).Results of the tests verify to a large extent the Design model. Externalproblems and variations in the beams themselves caused some deviations.Analysis confirmed the CLT as being more similar to other laminated productssuch as Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) then homogenous solid beams. BothCLT and LVL experience delamination when exposed to fire resulting in anincreased charring rate. The difference in rate when using Gypsum plaster as aprotective barrier against the fire exposure is also equal to LVL.The results of the report will be used in the new version of the EuropeanStandard, Euro Code 5 and in the third edition of Fire Safe Timber Buildings.Charring rates proved to be less than expected but the CLTs ability to withstandfire while keeping its bearing capacity

I Sverige fanns, mellan 1874 och 1994, ett förbud mot att bygga bostadshus med fler än två våningar i trästomme. Under denna tid försvann större delen av hantverks- och ingenjörskunnandet och man fick därför börja från början då förbudet hävdes. Byggandet gick till en början trögt, men tog fart i och med regeringens nationella träbyggnadsstrategi och utvecklandet av byggande med massivträ i början av 2000-talet. Limnologen i Växjö är ett bra exempel på hur långt fram Sverige ligger i utvecklingen, men det pekar också på områden inom tekniken som behöver förbättras. Den här uppsatsen behandlar översiktligt hur trähusbyggandet har sett ut i Sverige och beskriver sedan Limnologen med fokus på entreprenadform, stabilisering, brandskydd och akustik. Vidare beskrivs hur massivträtekniken har utvecklats och hur byggsystemet för massivträ har tagits fram. / Between 1874 and 1994, Swedish legislation limited the use of timber in load- bearing structures of residential buildings. The use of timber was prohibited in buildings of more than two storeys. During this period, much of the knowledge of the craftsmen and engineers was lost. Therefore, when legislation changed, there was a large need for regaining old and developing new knowledge in the field of timber construction and timber engineering. The number of multi- storey projects was not very large during the first years. Partly due to that the Swedish government developed a national strategy for the increased use of wood in construction in the beginning of the 21st century, progress was made in developing new techniques and the number of projects increased. The project Limnologen in Växjö is a good example of the current status of Swedish timber engineering, but also points to the fields where there is still some work to be done. This essay reports briefly on the building of wooden houses in Sweden in general, and describes the project Limnologen in particular. Issues like type of contract, stabilization, fire protection and solutions to prevent sound from transmitting are dealt with. Also a description of the development of cross- laminated timber (CLT) and how concepts based on CLT have been developed is given.

Trä är och har sedan länge varit en av Sveriges mest exporterade råvaror. Branschen sysselsätter idag omkring 100 000 människor i landet. I samband med de senaste årens miljödiskussioner bör husens uppbyggnad diskuteras. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att främja husbyggnation i massivträ som de senaste åren fått mer publicitet inte bara på den svenska marknaden men också i centraleuropeiska länder. Frågorna i detta arbete handlar om att identifiera de vanligast förekommande ytterväggskonstruktionerna och jämföra deras materialkostnader samt kostnader för arbete vid montering. För att ha kunnat göra en rättvis jämförelse har BBR’s energikrav varit den gemensamma nämnaren för ytterväggskonstruktionerna. Frågorna har besvarats genom intervjuer med tillverkare av prefabricerade massivträväggar, träregelväggar och betongväggar varpå energiberäkningar utförts i samband med framtagning av olika väggkonstruktioner för att få fram tre lika energieffektiva väggar. Dessa väggar har sedan kostnadsjämförts. Resultatet visar att den vanligast förekommande massivträväggen består av tre till fem lager korslimmade bräder som tillsammans bildar en KL-skiva. På dessa kan isolering och fasad appliceras och på så sätt få en vägg jämförbar med en träregelvägg eller betongvägg. Det visade sig efter gjorda undersökningar att massivträväggen är marginellt dyrare än träregelväggen men väsentligt mycket billigare än betongväggen. / Wood is and has long been one of Sweden’s most exported commodities. The industry currently employs about 100 000 people in the country. In conjunction with the recent environment discussions the construction of houses should also be discussed. The purpose of this study is to promote housing construction in solid wood, which in recent years has received more publicity not only in the Swedish market but also in central European countries. The questions in this project is about identifying the most common exterior wall constructions and compare their costs for materials and labor costs during assembly. To have a fair comparison, the BBR's energy requirements have been the common denominator of the exterior wall constructions. The questions have been answered through interviews with manufacturers of prefabricated solid wooden walls, wooden stud walls and concrete walls after which energy calculations conducted in connection with the development of various wall constructions to produce three equal energy-efficient walls. These walls have then been compared by their costs. The results show that the most common wall of solid wood consists of three to five layers of cross-laminated planks that make up a CLT-board. On these insulation and façade are applied and thus obtain a wall which is similar to the wooden stud wall or concrete wall. It was found after the investigations were made that the wall of solid wood is marginally more expensive than the wooden stud wall but significantly cheaper than the concrete wall.

Wood is a highly versatile renewable material (with carbon sequestering properties), that is light in weight, has good strength properties in both tension and compression while providing good rigidity and toughness, and good insulating properties (relative to typical structural materials). Engineered wood products combine the benefits of wood with engineering knowledge to create optimized structural elements. Cross-laminated timber (CLT), as one such engineered wood product, is an emerging engineering material which provides great opportunities for the building industry. While building with wood has many benefits, there are also some concerns, particularly decay. Should wood be exposed to elevated amounts of moisture, rots and moulds may damage the product or even risk the health of the occupants. As CLT panels are a relatively new engineered wood product, the moisture characteristics have yet to be properly assessed. Consequently, the amount of decay risk for CLT in building applications is unknown, and recommended protective actions during design construction and operation have yet to be determined. The goal of this research was to determine the moisture durability of CLT panels in wall assemblies and address concerns related to built-in construction moisture. The approach used to address the problem was to first determine select moisture properties of CLT panels through experimental approaches, and then use the results to calibrate a hygrothermal model to quantify the risks of wall assemblies. The wall assemblies were simulated in six different cities across Canada, representing a range of climates: Vancouver, B.C., Edmonton, A.B., Winnipeg, M.B., Ottawa, O.N., Québec City, Q.C., and St. John, New-Brunswick. The risks associated with moisture exposure during construction are also considered in the simulations. The experimental phase of the research was limited to moisture uptake tests. These tests were utilized to determine the liquid water absorption coefficient for four different types of full scale panels (2’x2’) and 12 clear wood samples. The panels were either made of 5-ply of Western-SPF, Eastern-SPF, Hemlock-Fir, or 3-ply of a generic softwood provided by a European CLT manufacturer; the clear samples were all cut from the same nominal 2x6 SPF-grade lumber. The panels were installed in a drying rack and gravimetrically tracked to assess the drying rates of the panels. Finite resources precluded more thorough material testing, but a parametric study was conducted to determine the relative impact of the missing material data on the final simulation results. In the hygrothermal simulations, four main wall assembly types were considered- those with either exterior or interior insulation, and those using either vapour permeable or impermeable air-water barriers. Various types of insulation and vapour control were also modelled. The simulations were run for a variety of interior relative humidities. The metric for comparison between the simulations was the water content of a 4mm thin layer on the extreme lamina of a CLT panel system. The results of the simulation suggest that vapour impermeable membranes, when install on dry CLT panels (less than 14% M.C.) do not pose moisture risks in any of the climates considered. However, when high levels of construction moisture is considered, only vapour permeable membranes controlled moisture risks by allowing the CLT panel to dry both to the interior and to the exterior.

The compressive strength perpendicular to grain of cross laminated timber (CLT) was studied experimentally. The problem was also theoretically analyzed and a finite element model was created and solved using a commercial finite element software package. The experiments were carried out with three layer CLT specimens of dimensions 200x200x120 mm and 300x300x120 mm. In some of the experiments a contact free deformation measurement system was used to analyze the strain field during loading. Different ways to apply the load were used: over the whole surface of the specimens and by a 50 mm wide steel bar. The position of the steel bar in relation to the specimen edge and its orientation relative the surface grain direction was varied. It was found that the compression strength of the cross laminated timber depended on the way in which the load was applied. The compression strength perpendicular to grain was found vary from 2.9 N/mm2 for specimens loaded by a line load at the edge of the specimen and parallel to the surface grain direction to 5.8 N/mm2 for specimens loaded by a line load at the specimen centre and perpendicular to the surface fiber direction. / Tryckhållfastheten vinkelrät fiberriktningen i korslimmade massivträskivor (CLT) bestämdes experimentellt. Även teoretiska studier genomfördes med hjälp av ett kommersiellt finita elementprogram. Provningarna genomfördes på treskiktsskivor med måtten 200x200x120 mm samt 300x300x120 mm. I vissa av försöken användes dessutom ett mätsystem för beröringsfri deformationsmätning för att bestämma töjningsfälten. Olika sätt att belasta provbitarna undersöktes: genom att belasta hela provytan eller genom att belasta provet med en 50 mm bred stålstav. Stålstavens läge i förhållande till provbitens kant och dess orientering i förhållande till ytskiktets fiberriktning varierades. De experimentella resultaten visade att hållfastheten beror på hur provbitarna belastas. Tryckhållfastheten varierade mellan 2.9 N/mm2 för fallet med en linjelast vid provbitens kant och orienterad parallellt med ytskiktets fiberriktning och 5.8 N/mm2 för fallet med en linjelast mitt på provbiten och orienterad vinkelrät mot ytskiktets fiberriktning.