Comparative dynamic investigation of cross-laminated wooden panel systems: Shaking-table tests and analysis

Cross-laminated timber has recently gained great popularity in earthquake-prone areas for construction of residential, administrative, and other types of buildings. At the Laboratory of the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology in Skopje, comparative full-scale shaking-table tests of cross-laminated timber panel systems have been carried out as a part of the full research program on the seismic behavior of these types of wooden systems, realized by Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology, Skopje, and the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering (UL FCG), University of Ljubljana. Two different specimens built of cross-laminated timber panels have been tested: specimen containing a pair of single-unit principal wall elements (Specimen I) and specimen containing a pair of two-unit principal wall elements (Specimen 2). In this article, the results from the shaking-table tests obtained for Specimen 2 and numerically verified by using appropriate finite element method-based computational model are discussed. Reference is also made to the comparative analysis of the test results obtained for both specimens. One of the most important aspects of the research has been the estimation of the seismic energy-dissipation ability of Specimen I and 2, via calculation of the equivalent viscous damping using the performed experimental tests. It is generally concluded that Specimen 2 exhibits a similar rocking behavior as Specimen I, with similar energy-dissipation ability. Both specimens have manifested slightly different dynamic properties, mostly because Specimen 2 has been designed with one anchor more compared to Specimen I. Forced vibration tests have been used for identification of the effective stiffness on the contacts for Specimen 2. This research is expected to be a contribution toward clarification of the behavior and practical design of cross-laminated timber panel systems subjected to earthquake loading.