Behaviour of cross-laminated timber wall systems under monotonic lateral loading

In response to the global drive towards sustainable construction, cross-laminated timber (CLT) has emerged as a competitive alternative to other construction materials. Despite the construction of CLT buildings up to 10 storeys in areas of low seismicity, few multi-storey CLT buildings have been constructed in areas of moderate to high seismicity due to lack of knowledge regarding their performance under lateral loading. Previous experimental studies of the behaviour of CLT wall systems under lateral loading have been limited to replicating the conditions within multi-storey buildings with approximately three storeys, and most wall systems tested replicated ground floor wall systems. To develop an understanding of how taller CLT buildings would behave under lateral loading, for the first time, testing of CLT wall systems replicating conditions within buildings taller than three storeys was undertaken. In this study, wall systems representative of those within a 10 storey CLT building were experimentally tested; an above ground floor wall system was subjected to monotonic lateral load and constant vertical load, with vertical loads replicating gravity loads at storeys within a 10 storey CLT building. The results obtained suggest variable behaviour of wall systems throughout multi-storey CLT buildings, with lateral movement becoming significant at higher storeys.