Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The lateral dynamic behaviour of light frame buildings has been extensively studied, and provisions have been incorporated into various design codes and standards. The global interest in green materials expanded the use of engineered wood products, including cross laminated timber (CLT), an innovative mass timber product with higher structural integrity and seismic performance. Mass timber construction has recently gained impetus in multistory residential and commercial construction with the approval for encapsulated mass timber in the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) version 2020 edition, allowing residential and significant occupancy buildings up to 12 storeys constructed with mass timber elements. Most mass timber buildings are erected with CLT shear wall using either platform type or balloon type construction methods and braced frames as lateral load resisting systems. The design provision available in the standard, such as Canadian Standard Engineering Design in Wood (CSA 2020), is limited to CLT shear walls of plat form type construction and does not apply to balloon type construction. Further, the provisions are required for braced frames as lateral load resisting systems when CLT shear walls are not used to resist the lateral loads. The lack of accurate and reliable guidelines to asses the dynamic behaviour of mass timber buildings with braced frames and CLT shear walls prompted the current research program contributing to a better understanding of their dynamic response and enhancement of lateral performances. The long term goal of this research program is to investigate the mass timber buildings' dynamic behaviour and develop an in depth understanding of their in situ performance for establishing seismic design guidelines and retrofitting procedures for buildings with balloon type and braced frame lateral load resisting systems, while the short term objectives include; i) investigating the dynamic response of CLT shear wall (balloon type) and braced frame structural systems of various heights and plans employing field measurement, ii) developing advanced numerical models capable of predicting the seismic response of the measured buildings and, iii) investigating the lateral response of CLT shear wall and braced frame structural system by conducting laboratory experiments. The research methodology is comprised of field vibration tests on buildings with braced frames and balloon type shear walls, followed by numerical modelling. Laboratory experiments will also be performed on the focused frame and shear wall assemblies. Detail finite element model will be created for the measured buildings and validated with the field results. The research program will train the next generation of structural engineers and scholars, contributing efficiency to the domain of timber engineering and supporting the Canadian government in protecting wood buildings during seismic events.