Abstract

The strength of cross laminated timber (CLT) depends on the stiffness and strength of the lamellas and on the strength of the finger joints. A model for how stiffness and strength vary along and between lamellas is used in combination with a finite element model of CLT and Monte Carlo simulations to calculate out-of-plane bending strength of homogeneous and inhomogeneous CLT. Calculated and experimentally obtained results of characteristic bending strengths, coefficient of variation of bending strength and the proportion of finger joint failures, agree very well for both types of CLT. The characteristic out-of-plane bending strength and the mean bending stiffness were 23% and 16% higher, respectively, for inhomogeneous CLT with outer layer lamellas graded in the strength class C35, compared to homogeneous CLT with all lamellas graded in the class C24. Simulation results give basis for simple equations by which bending strength of CLT can be determined as function of the layup, the strength class of outer layer lamellas and characteristic strength of the finger joints. Furthermore, system effects are investigated. For inhomogeneous CLT, with outer layer lamellas of high strength class, the system effects turn out to be quite different from those of ordinary, homogeneous CLT.

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