Investigating the effect of the structural interactions due to floors and lintels on the lateral response of multi-storey Cross-Laminated Timber shear walls

Abstract

The lateral behaviour of multi-storey Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) structures is significantly influenced by the effects of the structural interactions between primary and secondary structural elements and their connections. In case of platform-type structures, in addition to the connections placed at the base of the walls, other structural components including the floor diaphragms and the lintels above the openings influence the lateral performances of the CLT shear walls. However, it is common practice in structural design to model multi-storey CLT shear walls by considering the wall base connections, while neglecting the effects of these structural interactions. This study investigates in detail the lateral behaviour of multi-storey CLT shear walls, comparing the results of simplified modelling strategy, typically adopted in practical design, and more advanced modelling strategies that take into account the effects of these structural interactions. Different shear wall configurations, including different geometries, number of storeys, and connection properties were analysed by means of linear elastic and nonlinear static analyses. The results of the numerical analyses highlighted significant differences between the lateral behaviour of multi-storey CLT shear walls modelled with these different modelling strategies and suggest that simplified modelling strategies may not always be reliable to describe the behaviour of multi-storey CLT shear walls.