Cross laminated timber at in-plane beam loading – Comparison of model predictions and FE-analyses

Abstract

The work presented concerns validation of a specific analytical model for Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) at in-plane beam loading conditions. The original model (model A) has previously been presented in the literature and is also suggested to be used as a basis for design equations for the next version of Eurocode 5. An improved version (model B) of that original model (model A), regarding basic assumptions relating to the internal force distribution, has recently been presented in the literature. Here, comparisons between the original model (model A), the improved model (model B) and FE-analyses regarding magnitude and distribution of internal forces are presented. The main focus is on forces and torsional moments acting in the crossing areas between longitudinal and transversal laminations and relevant for shear mode III failure, meaning the relative sliding and rotation between two flat-side bonded laminations. The results show that the improved analytical model (model B) outperforms the original model (model A) in terms of giving predictions very close to the predictions of the FE-model. A further extension of the improved model (model B) regarding distribution of forces and torsional moments in the beam width direction is also presented.