SOLUTIONS FOR EDGE CONNECTIONS TO BUILD TWO-WAY SPANNING CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER SLABS

Abstract

Two-way spanning slabs made of cross laminated timber (CLT) require a rigid connection of the single elements. In particular for point-supported flat slabs this connection is necessary to enable spans that exceed the transport-related width of the single CLT-elements. The paper shows solutions how this connection could be designed and realized. In addition to the load-bearing capacity, especially the rotational stiffness is a crucial factor for the edge connection. A certain stiffness is needed to meet the requirements of a floor in terms of serviceability. To determine the load-bearing capacity and stiffness, four-point bending tests were performed on different types of possible edge connection solutions. The investigations revealed two connection types that meet the specified criteria without on-site gluing. One approach consists of a timber-concrete-composite system. Here, reinforcing bars are glued into the narrow surface of the CLT-element and the gap between the adjacent CLT-elements is then casted on-site. A second, completely dry application is to use a system connector with serrated steel plates. This serration ensures the force transmission between the CLT-elements by the connector. In addition to the results of these two types, also further options for the edge connection are presented.