Performance of coupled CLT shear walls with internal perforated steel plates as vertical joints and hold-downs

Abstract

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) constitutes a promising solution for numerous structural applications, including as shear walls in lateral load resisting systems. The research presented herein investigated the viability of internal-perforated-steel-plates with self-drilling dowels as high-performance connections for CLT shear walls. To achieve this objective, quasi-static monotonic and reversed cyclic tests at the material level (dowels and steel plates), the component level (shear connections and hold-downs), and the system level (full-scale shear walls) were conducted. The component level tests demonstrated that it is possible to control the strength, stiffness, and ductility only through the yielding of the internal-perforated-steel-plates and avoid bending of the self-drilling dowels or crushing of the CLT. The full-scale shear walls achieved coupled-wall kinematic behaviour at yield and ultimate loads, enhancing the energy dissipation. The strength of the coupled wall system was governed by the capacity of the vertical joints.