Grant: Engage Grants Program

Although the benefits of using timber in mid- and high-rise construction are undisputed, there are perceived*shortcomings with respect to the corresponding lack of appropriate design guidance. Overcoming these*perceived shortcomings will allow timber, and its wood product derivatives, to further expand into the*non-residential construction sector.*Mass timber and timber hybrid construction is gaining popularity in modern building construction and*engineering best practices are trying to keep up. While there are many new engineered connectors making their*way to market, some traditional carpentry joints are still cost-effective solutions. One of the more common*connections is a secondary timber beam to a primary timber beam or ledger that is ""housed"" into the primary*member to create a bearing seat for direct load transfer either through a square mortise or a rounded dovetail.*Such joints have many centuries of performance in buildings, but lack a reliable, modern design basis*congruent with the level of safety and reliability expected of current design standards and building codes.*The company-specific problem that will be addressed is the provision of design guidance for such square or*rounded housing joints, establishing a direct link between the material properties and member dimensions and*the connection performance in terms of strength and stiffness. At the project conclusion, the company will have*a better understanding of how to efficiently and safely design these types of traditional carpentry-type joints.