A set of calculation tools supporting the design, modelling and application of plywood-based seismic retrofitting interventions on timber floors in existing buildings

The application of timber-based strengthening solutions to existing wooden and masonry structures, combines several benefits, such as reversibility, compatibility, lightness, sustainability, affordability, and effectiveness. With reference to existing timber floors, an efficient method to enhance their seismic response is the fastening of an...

Experimental and Numerical Assessment of an Improved Plywood-Based In-Plane Retrofitting Method for Timber Floors in Highly Seismic Areas

Wood-based retrofitting techniques for seismic upgrading and architectural conservation of existing buildings have found increasing application in the last decades. With reference to the in-plane seismic strengthening of existing timber floors, a particularly efficient solution consists of an overlay of plywood panels fastened to the sheathing....

Combining Architectural Conservation and Seismic Strengthening in the Wood-Based Retrofitting of a Monumental Timber Roof: The Case Study of St. Andrew’s Church in Ceto, Brescia, Italy

This work presents the application of timber-based retrofitting techniques to a case-study stone masonry church featuring a wooden roof from 18^th century. From the static point of view, the original roof structure presented a number of undersized structural elements, and its members were poorly or not connected among each other and...

Seismic behaviour of masonry buildings with timber diaphragms

Existing masonry buildings are very frequently part of the architectural context for several countries all over the world. These constructions often feature masonry walls as vertical structural elements, and timber floors and roofs as horizontal components. The often poor characteristics of masonry, along with the in-plane flexibility of the...

Experimental characterisation of as-built and retrofitted timber-masonry connections under monotonic, cyclic and dynamic loading

In the province of Groningen (NL), where human-induced earthquakes take place due to gas extraction, a large part of the building stock is composed of brick masonry walls and timber diaphragms. In this framework, timber-masonry connections play a crucial role in the global seismic response of the buildings, but their properties and structural...

An analytical model describing the in-plane behaviour of timber diaphragms strengthened with plywood panels

Timber diaphragms in existing buildings are often too flexible in their plane, and can thus potentially cause out-of-plane collapses of walls during earthquakes. A very efficient retrofitting method to increase their in-plane stiffness and energy dissipation is the overlay of plywood panels. However, the usual characterization of the floors by...

Connection of timber foundation piles to concrete extension piles

In this work, the relationship for a socket-type connection in wooden foundation piles is investigated, and a trilinear moment-rotation diagram was determined by means of experiment.<br/>Numerical and analytical models confirmed that the material properties for compression perpendicular to the grain are governing for the connections’ strength...

Optimizing Seismic Capacity of Existing Masonry Buildings by Retrofitting Timber Floors: Wood-Based Solutions as a Dissipative Alternative to Rigid Concrete Diaphragms

The inadequate seismic performance of existing masonry buildings is often linked to the excessively low in-plane stiffness of timber diaphragms and the poor quality of their connections to the walls. However, relevant past studies and seismic events have also shown that rigid diaphragms could be detrimental for existing buildings and do not...

Monotonic, cyclic and dynamic behaviour of timber-masonry connections

Historical or existing buildings are often composed of brick or stone masonry walls, and timber floors and roofs. When these buildings are subjected to earthquakes, the interaction among such structural components is essential to avoid collapse or excessive damage to the constructions. In this framework, a crucial role is played by the...

Analytical and numerical modelling of the in-plane response of timber diaphragms retrofitted with plywood panels

In the region of Groningen (NL), human-induced earthquakes initiated by gas extraction are causing structural damage. In that area, the building stock is mainly composed of unrein- forced masonry (URM) buildings with light and flexible timber floors and roofs. Thus, an ex- perimental campaign was arranged for assessing the in-plane response of...

Comparing In-Plane Equivalent Shear Stiffness of Timber Diaphragms Retrofitted with Light and Reversible Wood-Based Techniques

In-plane behavior of timber diaphragms is usually characterized by means of an equivalent shear stiffness. However, this value depends on how the stiffness of the floors is evaluated from the experimental tests. Although an increasing number of research studies have provided a deeper insight into the seismic characterization of as-built and...

Dissipative properties of timber diaphragms strengthened with plywood panels

In the field of seismic retrofitting, a common intervention to improve box-like behaviour in an existing building is the strengthening and stiffening of existing timber floors and roofs. However, these retrofitting methods should be carefully applied, because they change the static scheme and the buildings' response to earthquakes....

Experimental and analytical evaluation of the in-plane behaviour of as-built and strengthened traditional wooden floors

Traditional timber floors cannot normally withstand horizontal seismic loads without large deformations. This may lead to a corresponding out-of-plane collapse of masonry walls in existing buildings. This situation is even more critical in the Netherlands, around the city of Groningen, where human-induced earthquakes started to take place....

Test report on cyclic behaviour of replicated timber joist-masonry wall connections

In this report an experimental pilot study on the seismic response of timber-masonry connections is presented

Test report on cyclic behaviour of plank-joist connections of samples extracted from existing buildings

This report presents the materials, experiment setups and testing procedures directed at determining the back-bone curves that describe the plank-joist connections of samples extracted from existing unreinforced masonry houses. The last section contains an overview of the results obtained for the different specimens tested. The use of the...

Test report on material properties of timber and fasteners extracted from existing buildings

This report presents the material properties of timber and fasteners specimen extracted from existing unreinforced masonry houses.

Test report on cyclic behaviour of replicated timber diaphragms representing a detached house

The in-plane strength and stiffness as well as the hysteretic behaviour of timber diaphragms is investigated by performing quasi-static cyclic tests. In this report the behaviour of traditional timber floors and roof configurations was studied representing a typical detached masonry house. The configurations are based on a case study from a...