14 Jun Dr. Eric Kjolsing, SE, PE Presenting RCLT at WCTE
In June 2023 Dr. Eric Kjolsing will be presenting on reinforced cross-laminated timber (RCLT) at the World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) in Oslo, Norway. The presentation will include results from recent flexural tests which demonstrated that RCLT can provide significantly more strength and ductility than would otherwise be expected from unreinforced CLT panels. The advancement of RCLT makes the deployment of mass timber products in protective design more competitive with steel or concrete components, which have been used historically. The full abstract is given below. To request a copy of the conference paper, please email: kjolsing@kcse.com.
RCLT panel demonstrating large displacement capacity under quasi-static loading
There is an increasing desire to use wood products, which are environmentally sustainable, in protective design. Although cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels can be designed to mitigate blast threats, softwood CLT needs some form of reinforcement to defeat typical design basis ballistic threats. The inclusion of thin steel plates within a CLT panel’s layup, which has previously been shown to be feasible from both a cost and ballistic performance perspective at small scale, could conceivably be used to transform CLT into both a blast and ballistic resistant panel. To evaluate the response of such a reinforced CLT (RCLT) panel at full scale, an analytical methodology was developed to predict the performance of RCLT panels to out-of-plane loading. The methodology was used to develop three unique RCLT layups that varied both the lumber grade and ply orientation to achieve targeted failure mechanisms. Twelve RCLT panels were fabricated and subjected to quasi-static four-point bending. Tested specimens showed high levels of ductility, excellent wood-to-steel adhesion, and significant post-peak load carrying capacity. Dynamic analyses indicate that the 7-ply RCLT panels perform better than unreinforced 7-ply and 9-ply CLT panels.
For more information on our other work with Cross Laminated Timber click here.