Seismic Behavior of Balloon Frame Cross-Laminated Timber Connections

Abstract

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an innovative building material that has become increasingly popular in midrise building construction due to its rapid assembly capability, environmental friendliness, and beneficial strength-to-weight ratio. Currently, CLT balloon-style construction requires the engineering team to use the alternative means procedure within design standards for areas of high seismicity in the US. This study experimentally investigated the behavior of CLT balloon-style construction connections and characterized their behavior. Various wall-to-floor and panel-to-panel connections were identified in the test matrix and tested under monotonic and cyclic loads. A series of full-scale CLT shear wall tests focusing on the response of connections was conducted, adopting a biaxial loading protocol to characterize connection and system response to loading in two directions.