SEISMIC CONNECTIONS FOR CLT STRUCTURES WITH TUBULAR ELEMENTS AND UNCOUPLED TENSION-SHEAR INTERACTION

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels possess high in-plane stiffness, and traditional earthquake resistant connections, originally designed to counteract separately rocking and sliding phenomena, are subjected to a combined tension-shear interaction. Detailed models involving tension-shear interaction may be considered unpractical to apply by designers with the dilemma of simpler ones not representative of the real behaviour of the panels. This work presents the mechanical response of a novel connection system which limits tension-shear interaction aiming to contribute towards the reliability of capacity design of CLT shear wall assemblies. Such connection system extends the concept of rocking shear-walls with shear keys used for high-rise CLT buildings to the case of low-to medium rise buildings. Latest results from monotonic and cyclic-loading experimental tests of the connection device are presented and the design implication of this solution is analysed via a comparative analysis adopting non-linear numerical simulations of a CLT structure.