Design implications for Cross-Laminated Timber shear walls connected to perpendicular walls

In Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) platform-type buildings, the CLT shear walls are interconnected through screws and metal brackets, forming vertical connections with other CLT wall elements and horizontal connections with CLT floor elements or foundations. Numerous studies in the last decade have investigated the lateral behaviour of CLT structures, primarily focusing on the role of the wall base connections, such as hold downs and angle brackets (Lukacs et al. (2019)). However, several experimental studies (Popovski and Gavrić (2015), Yasumura et al. (2016)) have demonstrated that, in addition to the wall base connections, the connections between CLT shear walls and surrounding structural elements influence the lateral behaviour of CLT buildings, contributing to the observed "box behaviour". Examples of these interactions are those between perpendicular walls and between walls and floors (Shahnewaz et al. 2020). Despite the significant influence of these interactions on the lateral response of CLT buildings, no established methods currently exist to account for such contributions. Disregarding such interactions in structural analysis can lead to unreliable predictions and inaccuracies in the design process, particularly concerning lateral loads and seismic design considerations. This emphasises the need to establish a better understanding of the effects of these interactions on the lateral behaviour and structural design of CLT buildings. This study focuses on the effect of the interaction between perpendicular walls in CLT platform-type buildings. To quantify the effects of these interactions, the methodology adopted in the study involved the analysis of CLT shear walls in single wall and connected to perpendicular wall configurations. The investigation is conducted at wall level, by means of experimental tests, and at building level, by means of numerical simulations. An analytical model for the prediction of the elastic stiffness and the load carrying capacity is proposed, representing a simplified tool to be used for structural design purposes.