Lateral Performance of Cross-laminated Timber Shear Walls: Analytical and Numerical Investigations

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is becoming a viable option for mid-rise buildings in North America. CLT walls are very effective in resisting lateral forces resulting from wind and seismic loads, yet no standard provisions are available to estimate the resistance of CLT shear walls under lateral loading. The present research investigated CLT shear wall’s performance by evaluating the preferred kinematic rocking behaviour. An analytical procedure was proposed to estimate the resistance of CLT shear walls in a platform type construction. Finite element models of CLT shear with various brackets and hold-downs connections were developed. The models were validated against experimental results. Furthermore, a parametric study on CLT shear walls with the variation of type and number of connectors was conducted. The resistance estimated from parametric study and against analytical were compared. The proposed formulas can be useful tool for the design of CLT platform-type buildings, however, require further experimental validation.