Lateral Load Capacity of WikiHouse Composite Walls from CNC-Cut Timber
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 10
Abstract
Computer-numerical-control (CNC) fabrication of interlocking plate timber structures is a novel construction method that allows to build structural elements without mechanical fasteners: the load transfer mainly relies on direct contact and friction between the composing panels. In this work, the lateral load capacity of shear walls formed from interlocking CNC cut plywood elements is investigated for the first time by means of experimental testing. The experimental campaign comprises four full-scale wall specimens with and without window openings, and component tests on shear connectors and pegged connections that resist uplift at the base of the wall. A simplified analytical model is proposed and calibrated to capture the response of the wall specimens. Satisfactory agreement with the experimental results in terms of vertical and horizontal displacements can be found, but it is clear that the component tests on the holding-down pegs capture only part of the flexibility of the connection of the wall to the base, and a parameter calibrated based on the full-scale wall tests is required to represent the measured behavior. The failure load can be predicted with reasonable accuracy where failure is initiated by the hold-down connectors.
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Data Availability Statement
All Skylark 3D models, CNC cutting-related files, and assembly instructions are available in a repository online at https://www.wikihouse.cc/research under a Common Share-alike license.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Paul Rutherford from Threecreate for manufacturing and assembling the timber specimens. The help of technicians Mark Partington, Jim Hutcheson, and Calum Melrose during the testing of the connections at the structural lab in Edinburgh University is greatly appreciated. Furthermore, the authors would like to thank Dave Brook from BRE for his great contribution in testing the full-scale walls. This research was funded, in whole or in part, by Innovate UK Project 77084 and EPSRC IAA PIV072 (University of Edinburgh).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 10 • October 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 15, 2022
Accepted: Apr 14, 2023
Published online: Aug 11, 2023
Published in print: Oct 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jan 11, 2024
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