Effect of Inter-panel Connections on Modal Properties of Cross-Laminated Timber Floors

Abstract

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors are typically composed of prefabricated CLT panels assembled on a construction site. The actual connections are commonly disregarded at design stage. CLT floors are modelled either as a monolithic slab or more frequently as a collection of CLT panels with no connections. This paper presents a numerical study designed to demonstrate the effect of two common inter-panel connections, i.e. single surface spline and half-lapped joint, on vibration modes of various CLT floor configurations. The inter-panel connections are modelled as an equivalent 2D elastic strip between the CLT panels. This uncomplicated yet robust approximation of reality can be used readily in design practice, regardless finite element (FE) software used to determine modal properties of a floor. The corresponding monolithic floors and those without inter-panel connections are studied for comparison. The results showed that the common practice of modelling CLT floors either as monolithic slabs or as a set of independent panels should come to an end.