Experimental Study on the Lateral Performance of Timber Frames with Different Forms of Column Base Joints

Abstract

The column base joints in traditional residential timber structures perform well in terms of energy dissipation and seismic mitigation, yet many seismic damage investigations have shown that the excessive sliding of traditional forms of column bases is a failure mode that should not be overlooked. To this end, this study designed timber frame specimens with five different types of column base joints (floating type, Taoding tenon type, Guanjiao tenon type, circular sleeve–floating type, and ring and ribbed plate–floating type) and conducted low-cycle reciprocating load tests on them. Mechanical properties such as the failure mode, hysteresis, energy dissipation capacity, stiffness degradation, and strain characteristics of each specimen were investigated. The results showed that the frame with a circular sleeve–floating-type column base joint had the best seismic performance and the optimal repairability performance. Then, numerical calculations were carried out for the specimen with this form of column base joint and compared with the test results for verification. In addition, the design parameters affecting the seismic performance of the timber frame were analyzed, and the range of design parameters and design recommendations for this form of column base joint were presented to provide a theoretical basis for its engineering application.