An analytical formulation of q-factor for mid-rise CLT buildings based on parametric numerical analyses

The seismic response of cross-laminated timber buildings is analysed with the aim of assessing the correlation between the dissipative capacity (i.e., q-factor) and the assembling methodologies and geometrical properties. A parametric study was performed by means of incremental dynamic analyses on various building configurations with varying constructive features such as density of panel-to-panel joints and building slenderness. The results are firstly used to define parameters representative of the building geometry and assembling methodology and then to develop an analytical relationship to compute their most suitable q-factor starting from such parameters. The proposed method is finally validated referring to significant case studies available in literature.