Prefabricated timber buildings, as a modern method of using wood in construction, combines
sustainable practices with aesthetically appealing and functional building solutions that meet the needs of contemporary building design. Among the most common methods of timber construction in Europe is panel construction with light frame timber panels (LFTP), consisting of a wooden frame filled with insulating material and clad with sheathing boards. Prefabricated timber construction is also popular in earthquake-prone areas; therefore, it is of great importance to provide an adequate seismic resistant design of these buildings. In practice, elastic analysis with design spectra is used to determine seismic resistance, whereas for timber structuresthe assumption of nonlinear shear behavior of structural systems must be considered. In the case of LFTP panels, shear behavior also depends on the type and
performance of the joints. At the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, tests were conducted on the shear behavior of light frame timber panels with cement-particle boards of three different thicknesses: B16- 16, where the thickness of the sheathing boards is 16 mm; B12-12, with a sheathing thickness of 12 mm; and B12-16, where one side has a 12 mm thick and the other a 16 mm thick board. Experimental tests were also conducted on the shear behavior of the connection between the sheathing board and wood with staples. The results of these experiments formed the basis for the development of various models to establish assumptions for the nonlinear shear behavior of panels, which were also used in the task to perform nonlinear static (pushover) analysis of the structures. In addition to the experimental results of the panels, analytical calculations of the panels shear behavior according to the
EC5 standard were also used for behavior assumptions, employing both Method A and Method B. The calculation of seismic resistance was performed on two timber prefabricated residential buildings with different geometric designs. The seismic behavior of both buildings was compared, as well as the impact of different assumptions about the panels behavior on seismic resistance.The unfavourable geometric design of the building leads to reduced seismic resistance, which is reflected in a lower behavior factor of the structure. It was found that considering the lateral load- bearing capacity of the staples for determining the shear capacity of panels results in a higher seismic resistance than the values calculated by EC5. This approach leads to a computationally greater seismic resistance of buildings compared to assumptions based on experimental tests of entire panels. This highlights the need for more precise guidelines for assessing the seismic resistance of timber buildings with light-frame timber panels. It was also found that both buildings, if constructed on good foundation soils, meet the prescribed seismic resistance.
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