Approximate R-Factor for Cross-Laminated Timber Walls in Multistory Buildings

• Published in: Journal of architectural engineering Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 245 - 255
• Main Authors: Pei, Shiling, van de Lindt, John W, Popovski, Marjan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reston, VA American Society of Civil Engineers 01.12.2013
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building structure; Buildings; Buildings. Public works; Construction (buildings and works); Exact sciences and technology; Geotechnics; High rise building; Stresses. Safety; Structural analysis. Stresses; Structure-soil interaction; Technical Papers; Types of buildings; Wood structure; United States; North America; America; Performance evaluation; Dynamic response; Structural design; Wall; Wood; R-factor; Cross-laminated timber; Wood construction; Modeling; Recommendation; Seismic design code; Multi-story buildings; Design; Seismic analysis; Mid-rise building; Laminated wood; Seismic design; Laminated materials; High rise building
• ISSN: 1076-0431; 1943-5568
• DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000117

AbstractCross-laminated timber (CLT) is a wood construction technology that has been utilized in Europe for several decades and has become even more popular recently. Although the technology has been in existence for approximately 20 years, its seismic performance has been explored only recently by a handful of researchers. Interest in bringing CLT to the North American construction market necessitates a full understanding of the seismic behavior of CLT systems and the development of a response-modification factor, known as the R-factor, for use in force-based seismic design codes. In this paper, a nonlinear, load-resistance model for CLT shear walls is developed based on reversed-cyclic test data and explained. An estimation of a possible R-factor is obtained by developing a design for a 6-story CLT apartment building, based on computed peak interstory drifts, to achieve good performance in a high seismic region of the United States. It is concluded that using the equivalent lateral force procedure with an R-factor close to 4.5 likely will provide an 80% probability of not exceeding 4% peak interstory drift during a maximum credible earthquake (MCE) near Los Angeles, CA (i.e., an earthquake with a return period of 2,500 years).