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Characterization of mortar–timber and timber–timber cyclic friction in timber floor connections of masonry buildings

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Abstract

The seismic performance of buildings depends critically on the stiffness and strength of storey diaphragms. Whilst for modern reinforced concrete or steel structures the connection between floors and lateral resisting members is often assumed as monolithic, timber floors and ceilings in masonry buildings are susceptible to sliding in their supports. In fact, the anchorage of timber beams in masonry walls and intermediate supports relies partly or totally on a frictional type of resisting mechanism. The present work contributes to characterize this behaviour by presenting the results of an extensive experimental programme with cyclic friction triplet tests between mortar and timber units, and between timber and timber units. These were produced to be representative of connection typologies characteristic of pre-modern and contemporary construction periods. Each test was performed under a constant level of contact pressure, which was increased throughout each series to cover a range of normal forces foreseeable in building connections. Other aspects are also discussed, such as the influence of cumulative loading or velocity. The experimental data is made available for public use (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3348328).

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Acknowledgements

The support of this project by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, FOEN, in the framework of the action plan timber (“Aktionsplan Holz”) as well as by Lignum Holzwirtschaft Schweiz is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to thank Dionysia Michalogianni for the help with the laboratory tests, and the availability and engagement of the laboratory technicians of the IIC-GIS Lab at EPFL, namely Serge Despont, Gérald Rouge, Gilles Guignet, and Sylvain Demierre.

Funding

This project was funded by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, FOEN, a government agency of Switzerland, in the framework of the action plan timber (“Aktionsplan Holz”) as well as by Lignum Holzwirtschaft Schweiz, a non-profit organisation of timber experts in Switzerland.

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  1. João P. Almeida

    Present address: Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering, UCLouvain, Place du Levant 1 L5.05.01, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics Laboratory (EESD), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL ENAC IIC EESD, Station 18, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    João P. Almeida & Katrin Beyer

  2. Lignum, Holzwirtschaft Schweiz, Mühlebachstrasse 8, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland

    Roland Brunner

  3. Zurich, Switzerland

    Thomas Wenk

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  1. João P. Almeida
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  2. Katrin Beyer
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Correspondence to João P. Almeida.

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The co-author Roland Brunner was employed by Lignum Holzwirtschaft Schweiz. The first author and both remaining co-authors have no conflicts of interest.

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João P. Almeida: Formerly at Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics Laboratory (EESD), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL ENAC IIC EESD, Station 18, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

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Almeida, J.P., Beyer, K., Brunner, R. et al. Characterization of mortar–timber and timber–timber cyclic friction in timber floor connections of masonry buildings. Mater Struct 53, 51 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-020-01483-y

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