INNOVATIVE HIGH PERFORMANCE SEISMIC RESILIENT TIMBER WALL STRUCTURES WITH LOW DAMAGE FLOOR CONNECTIONS

Abstract

Rocking timber walls provide superior seismic performance in comparison with conventional light timber structures. Nevertheless, there is an uplift movement at the base of the wall that is translated as vertical displacement and rotation demands at the floor levels. With current conventional approach, not only floors and connections are prone to damage, but also the rocking movement is compromised. Presented in this paper is a new wall-to-floor and beam-to-floor solution for mass timber wall structures that not only transfer the lateral loads but also provide full self-centering while dissipating seismic energy without damage. A new shear key like system including friction dampers is proposed, to both safely allow wall uplift relative to floor and at the same time dissipate energy. Among the advantages of the new system are increased damping capacity of the system, elimination of bulky and expensive fastener connections, mitigation of displacement demands on the structure, reduction in the size and capacity of the hold-downs, and the possibility of reducing the size and number of walls. As a result, the design is more economical and cost-effective, while delivering a high-performance, competitive solution compared to conventional timber structures.