Abstract
The deformation compatibility behavior of glue-laminated (glulam) beam-to-column connections is not yet well understood. To investigate this behavior, 10 specimens representing five different glulam beam-to-column connections were tested under lateral cyclic loading. Three of the connections were custom-designed connections and two were pre-engineered connections. Specimens were large-scale glulam beam-to-column connections, and testing included combined gravity and lateral loading as well as the presence of a cross-laminated timber (CLT) deck. Connection characteristics such as yield force, initial stiffness, secant stiffness, and energy dissipation were calculated and compared across connections as well as observations made during testing. Results from the experimental testing indicated that pre-engineered connections demonstrated overall better performance than the custom connections. Pre-engineered connections had the largest remaining secant stiffness by the end of the loading protocol, greater energy dissipation, and larger average yield forces than the custom connections. Although all connections tested exceeded their lateral design capacities at drift levels less than 2% drift, all connections maintained load-carrying capacity throughout testing.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was sponsored by MTC Solutions and the USDA Agricultural Research Service, grant no. 58-0204-6-002. Thank you to KPFF, Holmes Structures, and the Northwest Carpenters Union for donating time and expertise to this project and to Tyler DeBoodt for assistance during specimen construction and testing.
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Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 4 • April 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 14, 2022
Accepted: Nov 29, 2022
Published online: Jan 27, 2023
Published in print: Apr 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jun 27, 2023
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