Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel H. White, Sam Anderson, James F. Booth, Ginni Braich, Christina Draeger, Cuiyi Fei, Christopher D. G. Harley, Sarah B. Henderson, Matthias Jakob, Carie-Ann Lau, Lualawi Mareshet Admasu, Veeshan Narinesingh, Christopher Rodell, Eliott Roocroft, Kate R. Weinberger, Greg West
Summary: The unprecedented 2021 heatwave in the Pacific Northwest region broke temperature records by extraordinary amounts. The impacts were catastrophic, causing deaths, mass-mortalities of marine life, wildfires, reduced crop yields, and river flooding.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shaobo Liang, Hongmei Gu, Richard Bergman
Summary: This study quantified the life cycle environmental and economic performances of a high-rise mass timber building in the U.S. Pacific Northwest region, showing better environmental performance but slightly higher life cycle cost compared to conventional concrete buildings. The integration of life-cycle assessment and life-cycle cost analysis can provide valuable information for decision makers in the construction industry.
Article
Environmental Sciences
D. L. Schumacher, M. Hauser, S. Seneviratne
Summary: In late June 2021, a heatwave with unusually high temperatures occurred in western North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. The study finds that the physical drivers of this event are the anticyclonic circulation aloft, which converts potential energy into sensible heat, and the establishment of deep atmospheric boundary layers facilitated by mountainous terrain and dry soils. Anomalous soil moisture also contributes to the temperature rise. The research suggests that similar large-scale atmospheric circulation driven by enhanced thermodynamic drivers could result in even more extreme temperatures, particularly in a warmer climate.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Md Shahnewaz, Carla Dickof, Thomas Tannert
Summary: The experimental study focused on the influence of wall-to-floor hold-downs, vertical spline joints, shear connectors, panel aspect ratio, and gravity loading on the performance of single storey cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear walls. The results showed that the presence of washers significantly increased overall connection stiffness, capacity, and ductility. The wall aspect ratio had the most significant influence on the shear wall performance, and increasing the number of shear brackets and using tighter nail spacing in the spline joints also improved the capacity and stiffness of coupled shear walls.
ENGINEERING STRUCTURES
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Sohrab Rahimi, Vahid Nasir, Stavros Avramidis, Farrokh Sassani
Summary: Moisture monitoring is crucial during timber drying to maintain quality, and this study aims to estimate the final moisture distribution of kiln-dried timber using machine learning. Initial moisture level and weight were found to be essential variables affecting timber overdrying and underdrying. The decision tree approach showed better performance for moisture classification, with around 91% accuracy.
STRUCTURAL CONTROL & HEALTH MONITORING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Matias Alarcon, Pedro Soto, Francisco Hernandez, Pablo Guindos
Summary: A low-cost seismic instrumentation system has been implemented and validated for the structural health monitoring of a 6-story light-frame timber building in South America. By coupling the system with relative humidity and temperature measuring system, the researchers are able to investigate the ambient-induced variations of the building's dynamic properties. The system, which utilizes RaspberryShake accelerographs and an auxiliary Raspberry Pi3, has been validated through shake table tests and shows good agreement with conventional measuring systems.
ENGINEERING STRUCTURES
(2023)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Samuel Ayanleye, Kenneth Udele, Vahid Nasir, Xuefeng Zhang, Holger Militz
Summary: This review discusses the advantages and opportunities of applying mass timber (MT) in tall buildings, as well as the durability issues associated with MT application. The traditional wood protection techniques and their potential for MT protection are examined. Recent studies on MT durability evaluation and progress in MT structure protection through moisture control strategy are surveyed. The effects of preservative, thermal, and chemical treatment approaches on the properties of MT are summarized, and the future of the field is discussed.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Yunjia Tong, Songtao Xue, Liyu Xie, Hesheng Tang
Summary: Fluid viscous damper, specifically the oil damper, is widely used for energy dissipation and shock absorption in structural systems. However, there's a limitation in incorporating shaft bearings and pressure sealings for oil dampers, limiting its application in new or existing structures. In this study, a non-linear oil damper with viscoelastic polymer packing soft links is proposed and investigated, and its effectiveness and performance are explored through vibration monitoring and data analysis. A Bayesian based order selection method is used to extract dynamic properties of a passively-controlled 8-story steel building, and an analytical model for the nonlinear oil damper is estimated for model updating and response prediction.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Samuel Shulman, Cristiano Loss
Summary: Recent advancements in wood-based construction involve the use of hybrid assembly and offsite construction methods, relying on prefabricated components. This paper presents a new connection design method for hybrid steel-CLT composites and assemblies.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Hercend Mpidi Bita, Thomas Tannert
Summary: This study focuses on the disproportionate collapse prevention of mass timber buildings, and examines the performance of a six-storey post and beam mass timber building. The results indicate the need for conducting 3D element removal analysis to ensure compliance with collapse acceptance criteria, as well as the importance of continuous loads and improved connection details.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Maja Danovska, Giovanni Pernigotto, Paolo Baggio, Andrea Gasparella
Summary: Many studies confirm that the thermal properties of building materials are affected by temperature and moisture content. However, building performance simulation often uses constant thermal conductivity values, which can lead to inaccuracies. This research combines experimental and numerical analyses to determine dynamic thermal conductivity functions for timber materials and assesses the inaccuracies in thermal performance calculations. Results show that using dynamic thermal conductivity values can significantly improve the accuracy of heat transfer calculations in timber components.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Kenneth Emamoke Udele, Arijit Sinha, Jeffrey J. Morrell
Summary: As mass timber buildings become popular in North America, concerns about moisture intrusion and connection performance arise. This study investigates the wetting and redrying performance of CLT angle bracket connections, analyzing the effects of drying methods on load carrying capacity, stiffness, and energy dissipating capacity. The results show that load carrying capacity is minimally affected, but aggressive drying may induce brittleness and damage the connections.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuji Miyazu, Cristiano Loss
Summary: The paper provides a dataset of lateral vibration data obtained from on-site vibration tests on an 18-story timber-concrete hybrid building. The dataset is useful for evaluating the vibration properties of tall timber-concrete hybrid buildings and promoting reasonable structural design and health monitoring.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Mehsam Tanzim Khan, Chun Ni, Jieying Wang, Ying Hei Chui
Summary: This study investigates the axial stress distribution of self-tapping screws in two timber products, CLT and glulam, under changing moisture conditions. By studying material properties and developing a numerical model, it helps to understand the premature failure of self-tapping screw connections under varying wood moisture content.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Esther J. Baas, Mariapaola Riggio, Andre R. Barbosa
Summary: Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a method used to evaluate the performance of new structural systems and critical infrastructure. With the rise of mass-timber building construction, SHM programs have emerged to document the behavior of these structures; collaboration within the research community to create consistent data using standardized approaches is key for efficiency and providing recommendations to industry.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Da Huang, Shiling Pei
Summary: A proposed artificial neural network is designed to generate maximum inter-story drift for buildings with post-tensioned mass timber rocking walls, achieving significantly higher computational efficiency compared to time history simulation while maintaining similar accuracy levels. This approach has the potential for automated design of mass timber rocking wall lateral systems.
JOURNAL OF EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Zhibin Jin, Ke Chen, Shiling Pei
Summary: Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) is widely used to achieve rapid construction, reduce traffic congestion and environmental impacts, and ensure reliable quality control. This study proposes an alternative solution using hollow section columns and shallow socket foundations to reduce the weight of precast columns and foundations. Experimental results show that utilizing postpour concrete can enhance the shear capacity of precast columns, and deeper postpour concrete sections can improve the energy dissipating capacity of precast columns.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samuel L. Zelinka, Grant T. Kirker, George E. Sterbinsky, Keith J. Bourne
Summary: This study used XANES to investigate the changes in copper oxidation states in wood treated with different wood preservatives and found that in nearly all cases the copper oxidation state was Cu++. The results confirmed previous beliefs about copper oxidation states in wood and provided further insights into the corrosion mechanism of metals embedded in treated wood.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Sarah Wichman, Jeffrey W. Berman, Shiling Pei
Summary: This paper presents a numerical modeling procedure for a mass timber rocking wall lateral system and validates its reliability through comparison with experimental results. The study finds that a flexible foundation can reduce damage to the rocking wall panels.
EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING & STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
A. Busch, R. B. Zimmerman, S. Pei, E. McDonnell, P. Line, D. Huang
Summary: In this study, a prescriptive seismic design procedure for post-tensioned mass timber rocking wall lateral force-resisting systems is proposed. The procedure utilizes techniques and analysis procedures commonly used in design industry practice, and adheres to traditional approaches in current US standards. The design procedure aims to provide a basis for the prescriptive design of mass timber rocking wall lateral force-resisting systems and their future adoption into model codes.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Robert Lepage, Samuel Glass, Paul de la Bastide, Phalguni Mukhopadhyaya
Summary: This paper presents a research initiative that shifts the focus from predicting mould growth levels to probabilistic predictions, and introduces a serviceability limit state mould growth model for wood. The model's outputs were verified through an experimental roof study.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Elizabeth Poblete, Tahar Messadi, Cameron Murray, Samuel Zelinka
Summary: Understanding the behavior of moisture in cross-laminated timber (CLT) is crucial for its widespread use in construction in the United States. This research collected data on the long-term moisture variation in CLT panels at the University of Arkansas student residential building, revealing challenges faced during construction and highlighting the need for waterproofing measures.
JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Zhibin Jin, Weizhan Liu, Shiling Pei
Summary: This study evaluated the safety of railway vehicles running on bridges in seismic design. By examining the lateral vibration and torsion of the bridge deck during earthquakes, a formula was proposed to assess the safety of vehicle running. It was found that bridge deck torsion increases the risk of derailment, especially for bridges with lower natural frequencies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL STABILITY AND DYNAMICS
(2023)
Review
Forestry
Samuel L. Zelinka, Michael Altgen, Lukas Emmerich, Nathanael Guigo, Tobias Keplinger, Maija Kymalainen, Emil E. Thybring, Lisbeth G. Thygesen
Summary: Wood modifications have gained popularity as a means to improve wood performance, durability, and functionality. This review summarizes recent advances and future perspectives on various wood modification methods, both commercialized and at laboratory scale.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Zhibin Jin, Weizhan Liu, Shiling Pei
Summary: This study investigates the derailment issue caused by earthquakes and track irregularities, using the probability density evolution method to obtain the PDF of wheel unloading extremes and comparing the PDFs of different excitation sources to understand the combination rule. Additionally, seismic fragility analysis with incremental dynamic analysis was introduced to simplify probabilistic derailment assessment.
ENGINEERING STRUCTURES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Angelo Aloisio, Marco Martino Rosso, Da Huang, Asif Iqbal, Massimo Fragiacomo, Shiling Pei
Summary: This paper presents an analytical approach to develop and calibrate a nonlinear model for post-tensioned rocking walls in a mass timber building. The calibrated model is used to assess the fragility functions of the structure under repetitive seismic events.
BULLETIN OF EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Forestry
Emil Engelund Thybring, Maria Fredriksson, Samuel L. Zelinka, Samuel V. Glass
Summary: This review summarizes the fundamentals of water in wood, highlighting the importance of current knowledge and identifying knowledge gaps. It covers topics such as the location of water in wood, phase changes and equilibrium states of water, and thermodynamics of sorption.
Article
Forestry
Laura E. Hasburgh, Samuel L. Zelinka
Summary: Acetylation is a commercial wood modification method used to enhance wood durability. This study compared acetylated and untreated wood using a cone calorimeter and FTIR to examine acetic acid vapors in the combustion gases. Peak heat release and time to ignition showed no differences between acetylated and untreated boards. However, there were differences in the chemical composition of the combustion products, with acetylated samples showing increased acetic acid content corresponding to peak heat release.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Charles R. Boardman, Samuel V. Glass, Robert Lepage
Summary: A new mold growth model was developed for moisture risk assessment of wood-based building assemblies. The model combines existing features in a new way to improve predictive power and is based on a dose-response relationship. It accurately captures the stochastic nature of mold growth and shows better predictive capability compared to previous models. This model, known as DR SIM, provides a useful tool for detailed moisture risk assessment in construction using hygrothermal simulation or field data inputs.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
