Enroot: Enhancing the robustness of timber structures
Principal researcher:
MANUEL BUITRAGO
Team members:
- ELISA BERTOLESI
- VALENTINO SANGIORGIO
Funding Agency:
Duration: 01/01/2023 – 31/12/2024
Reference: CIGE/2022/120
Abstract
The current reality and promotion of timber structures contrast drastically with the scant amount of research carried out in the field of structural robustness in relation to other materials. This contrast is particularly relevant today, as extreme events (e.g. storms, floods, vehicle impacts, explosions or terrorist attacks) that cause local-initial failures of structures become more frequent and unpredictable due to climate change and emerging conflicts. Robust buildings that resist initial damage without triggering progressive collapse are becoming increasingly important. In this context, state-of-the-art structural design standards and guidelines indicate that structures must have sufficient structural continuity, redundancy and ductility. This will prevent the propagation of failures because the structural system will be able to activate alternative load paths in case of failure of any element. In the case of timber structures, continuity and efficient activation of alternative load paths are considered critical because of how the connections between elements are made.
The overall aim of Enroot is to enhance the robustness of timber structures through the design and evaluation of improved inter-element connections to meet structural robustness requirements.
Enroot will consist of the experimental evaluation of the robustness of two connections widely used in the sector. This evaluation will be carried out on tests on substructures. The proposed methodology is ambitious and multidisciplinary. The experimental tests will also include improved designs of the aforementioned connections, which will be optimised to achieve the best possible configuration and thus advance in the field of timber structures to bring them up to the reliability level of concrete or steel structures.
Finally, Enroot also includes the improved design of other types of connections widely used in the sector in terms of structural robustness, as well as the application of what has been studied so that it can be used in the day-to-day work of construction and consultancy companies, through the generation of simplified approximations and macro-models of the connections.