Title
Disproportionate collapse resistance of CLT buildings

CoPED ID
d0e5b16e-28ea-4052-9573-a580f294eb4a

Status
Active

Funders

Value
No funds listed.

Start Date
Sept. 19, 2021

End Date
March 30, 2028

Description

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This project falls within the EPSRC Engineering research area. Project's duration is anticipated to be 3.5 years, ending in Spring 2025. Buildings designed and constructed with a relatively young construction material - cross laminated timber (CLT) are increasingly popular. CLT buildings contribute to the Net Zero commitment by 2050 - reducing the carbon footprint in the building sector, offer comfortable living spaces, are built faster and more economically than using any other construction material. Current design guidelines on disproportionate collapse resistance of timber buildings adapt existing research on concrete and steel buildings without considering the inherent material properties of timber. Disproportionate collapse is a structural collapse where an initial local failure (e.g. loss of a column or a wall) causes a chain type damage disproportionate to the initial cause (e.g. collapse of structural bays). Timber is a light-weight material, its mechanical properties depend on dynamic effects and its failure mechanisms are usually brittle (non-ductile). An additional layer of complexity comprises consideration of high material variability of timber. The aim of the project is to study the collapse resistance of CLT buildings accounting for the ductility, rotational capacity and strength of the connections, membrane action of the CLT floor and mechanical properties. A validation and integration design approach will be adopted for the experimental and numerical work, aiming at establishing design guidelines on the design against disproportionate collapse of CLT buildings. Experiments ranging from connection to component and system level will adopt novel measurement techniques enabling an accurate calibration of numerical models. This PhD project is a unique research opportunity to advance timber research, inform and improve engineering guidelines and contribute to development of technical and non-technical communities about safe and sustainable use of CLT in construction. Partnerships to support this research project have been established with two industry partners and communication has started with other interested and emerging stakeholders with the aim to expand the current partnership network

Eleni Toumpanaki SUPER_PER
Luka Vojnovic STUDENT_PER

Subjects by relevance
  1. Timber construction
  2. Projects
  3. Building materials
  4. Sustainable development
  5. Wooden structures
  6. Physical properties
  7. Buildings
  8. Wooden buildings
  9. Construction
  10. Building timber
  11. Sustainable use
  12. Anticipation

Extracted key phrases
  1. Disproportionate collapse resistance
  2. CLT building
  3. Chain type damage disproportionate
  4. Timber building
  5. Structural collapse
  6. E.g. collapse
  7. Timber research
  8. EPSRC Engineering research area
  9. Steel building
  10. Building sector
  11. Research project
  12. Current design guideline
  13. CLT floor
  14. Young construction material
  15. Inherent material property

Related Pages

UKRI project entry

UK Project Locations