Modern factory automation is enabling the economic production of timber building components with sophisticated integral mechanical joints. This paper investigates the governing compressive failure mechanisms of full-length integrally-jointed plywood box columns, and in particular seeks to understand the interaction between localized material knot defects, integral box joint capacity, and column strength. A new critical failure mechanism is identified based on experimental observations and numerical analysis of sections with varying sizes of knot defect, with column capacity governed by defect-induced transverse loading of integral box joints. Column capacity was shown to improve with localized joint strengthening in knot-defective regions, or with a defect-adaptive fabrication procedure that avoids identified defects during component plate machining. The new failure mechanism was also combined with prior understanding of plate buckling and pop-off failure mechanisms to propose an overall failure process for integrally-jointed plywood columns. Results from this paper can also inform development of other types of integrally-jointed thin-walled structures.
Background and Methods:This paper illustrates a research on the behavior of the composite timber panels used in a new-type cold-formed steel shear wall, when subjected to monotonic and reversed cyclic in-plane loading. The framing members of this new-type cold-formed steel shear wall are made of cold-formed steels. The inner timber frameworks, sheathed with veneer plywood, form the composite timber panels.
Objective:In order to improve the lateral performance of the new-type cold-formed steel shear wall, two different optimized composite timber panels were proposed and tested, namely, increasing the thickness of the sheathings and the addition of steel X-bracings. The main objective of the study is to determine the quantification of the improvement in lateral performance of these two optimized composite timber panels.
Results and Conclusion:Observed failure modes, structural performance parameters and the data of the strain gauges were given for each specimen, which indicates two optimized panels both have better lateral performance. But larger deformation and damage of the sheathings happened on the panels with steel X-bracings, so the panels with thick sheathings are more suitable and practical for normal use.
The additive manufacturing process is gaining momentum in the construction industry with the rapid progression of large-scale 3D printed technologies. An established method of increasing the structural performance of concrete is by wrapping it with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP). This paper proposes a novel additive process to fabricate a FRP formwork by dynamic layer winding of the FRP fabric with epoxy resin paired with an industrial scale robotic arm. A range of prototypes were fabricated to explore and study the fabrication parameters. Based on the systemic exploration, the limitations, the scope, and the feasibility of the proposed additive manufacturing method is studied for large scale customisable structural formworks.
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