Experimental and numerical analysis of flexible polymer connections for CLT buildings

The paper explores the possibility of using flexible adhesives to dissipate energy in CLT buildings
during earthquakes. In the first series of tests, a rod glued in a CLT panel with flexible adhesive was investigated. The
connection was tested in pull-pull configuration using cyclic, tension-only loading. Different rod diameters and
different thicknesses of the glue layer were tested. The tests have shown that the adhesive can resist large deformations
and exhibits fairly large energy dissipation capacity. Based on the test results the numerical analyses were performed to
test the behaviour of the connection when applied in CLT buildings. Existing constitutive models available in OpenSees
software were used to simulate the specific hysteretic behaviour of the connection. The results have shown that the CLT
wall anchored with “flexible” glued-in rods would have a significant energy dissipation capacity if a sufficient number
of them were used as the hold-down devices. Such system could be used to dissipate energy in seismic areas.