Cyclic behaviour of Glulam, LVL and GLVL shear walls and their base connections

• Published in: Engineering structures 2024-09, Vol.315, p.118493, Article 118493
• Main Authors: D’Arenzo, Giuseppe, Seim, Werner
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CLT; Connections; Experimental tests; Glulam; GLVL; LVL; Timber shear walls
• ISSN: 0141-0296; 1873-7323
• DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2024.118493

This paper presents an experimental study aimed at characterizing the lateral cyclic behaviour of Glulam (GL), Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), and Glued Laminated Veneer Lumber (GLVL) shear walls anchored to the foundation by means of conventional hold downs and angle brackets, which are fastened to the timber walls with annular ring nails. Monotonic and cyclic tests are conducted on these mechanical anchors, with hold down connections tested under tensile loads and angle bracket connections under shear loads. Withdrawal tests on annular ring nails embedded in GL, LVL, and GLVL elements are also conducted, to investigate the withdrawal response of the fasteners. The experimental tests reveal that the lateral behaviour of GL, LVL, and GLVL shear walls is similar to that of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) shear walls, primarily governed by the wall base connections and by the wall geometry. Hold down and angle bracket connections exhibited a mechanical behaviour governed by the steel-to-timber joints, to large extent comparable with that of typical hold downs and angle brackets fastened to CLT elements. Generally, higher ductility and lower load carrying capacity were reached by hold downs and angle brackets fastened to GL elements compared to those reached by hold downs and angle brackets fastened to LVL and GLVL elements. All quantities relevant for the seismic design, such as stiffness, load carrying capacity, ductility, and overstrength factors are calculated and discussed through the paper. These quantities are then compared with results from different experimental investigations on hold downs and angle brackets fastened to CLT elements available in the literature. Finally, an analytical model for the calculation of the lateral load carrying capacity of the shear walls is presented and used to verify that the same calculation models used for CLT shear walls can be adopted for GL, LVL, and GLVL shear walls. •The lateral behaviour of Glulam, LVL and GLVL shear walls is investigated.•The cyclic behaviour of hold downs and angle brackets fastened to Glulam, LVL and GLVL elements is investigated.•Mechanical properties and overstrength factors of the wall base connections are presented.