Full-scale test of transitional wood shelter used by victims of typhoon Haiyan

Abstract

On November 2013, typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of central Philippines, creating a need for shelter for the thousands of residents displaced. Several relief organizations facilitated construction of thousands of shelters. This paper presents an experimental study performed to verify the structural capacity of one particular shelter. The shelter studied is of a transitional nature, with initial floor dimensions of 4.1m by 3m, but allowing for expansion. The structure is composed of a timber braced frame with a galvanized steel roof. Because of the non-conventional lateral force resisting system used in the shelter, a full-scale test under simulated lateral wind forces was performed. The main goals of the experiment were to confirm analytical results, and to determine failure mechanisms, lateral stiffness and the lateral capacity.The shelter's capacity was higher than the design demand, confirming the analytical results. The test was stopped when significant uplift deformations of the elevated post bases (EPBs), used to anchor the shelter columns to the concrete foundations, were observed at the columns in tension. This finding motivated further evaluation of the EPBs. Results from individual EPBs confirmed the full-scale test observations.