Lateral performance of CLT shear walls with different types of connectors

The Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) shear wall serves as an essential load-bearing component in multi-story timber structures. This study is centered on a comprehensive exploration of the lateral behavior of CLT shear wall with various connectors. A single CLT shear wall, integrated with Innovative Energy-dissipation Connectors (CLT-IECs), underwent monotonic loading. Simultaneously, four CLT shear walls, each featuring distinct connectors, were subjected to cyclic loading. The analysis of the failure mode reveals a steel bridge fracture and rubber detachment in the specimen CLT-IEC. In terms of hysteresis performance, the CLT-IEC exhibits lower initial stiffness and an extended sliping phase, while each hysteresis loop presents strong energy dissipation and ductility. To validate the replaceability of the IEC, the CLT shear wall equipped with an in-situ replaced IEC maintains significant ductility and energy dissipation capacities. A macro model is developed for the CLT-IEC, wherein the nonlinearity is regulated by the spring element within the connection. The hysteresis curve produced by the numerical model exhibits a strong resemblance to the experimental results, thus confirming its efficacy in accurately predicting the hysteresis behavior. This model exhibits substantial potential in enabling parameterized investigations of various CLT-IEC configurations.