Brittle failure of laterally loaded self-tapping screw connections for cross-laminated timber structures

Bolted Timber Joints with Self-tapping Screws

The use of self-tapping screws with continuous threads in the joint area as a reinforcement to avoid splitting of timber members is studied. A theoretical model is developed to calculate the stress distribution around a pin-loaded hole in a timber joint, to predict brittle failure modes in bolted connections and to calculate the load in the reinforcing screws. Laboratory experiments on reinforc...

Self-tapping Screws as Reinforcement Perpendicular to the Grain in Timber Connections

The use of self-tapping screws with continuous threads as a reinforcement to avoid splitting of members in connections with dowel-type fasteners was studied in two projects carried out at the Universities of Nottingham and Karlsruhe. The reinforced specimens showed a very ductile failure mode whereas the non-reinforced specimens failed in a brittle way. Although the reinforced specimens also sh...

Ambient vibration tests of a cross-laminated timber building

Cross Laminated Timber Construction for Resisting Lateral Loads on Six Level Buildings

The author’s intention is to contribute to the general discussion on timber multi-level commercial buildings. Interest in this topic is expected due to the environmental advantages of timber construction when compared to concrete and steel. This paper looks into three timber based systems for resisting lateral loads for buildings to six storeys, that will ensure relatively ‘open’ floor spaces. ...

A Cellular Automata Model for Predicting the Failure Pattern of Laterally Loaded Masonry Wall Panels

This paper introduces a new technique which directly predicts the failure patterns of laterally loaded masonry panels based on the results of existing typical panels tested in the laboratory. The technique is based on the use of the cellular automata (CA). In this technique, the CA modelling is established to propagate boundary effects to zones within a panel. The corresponding rules for the st...