Composite action in mass timber floor and beam system connected with self-tapping wood screws

Nowadays, massive timber floor/roof systems are designed by a simplified approach that treats the floor/roof and the supporting beams separately, thus ignoring the composite action between these two elements. Including the composite action in the calculations has the potential to increase the stiffness of the systems and to make their design more competitive and cost-effective. The key to achieve the composite action is to have a very stiff connection between the members. Self-tapping wood screws (STS) are widely used in these types of connections, however there is little knowledge on their performance under this type of loading, their impact on composite action and the effect of other variables on the connection stiffness. The proposed research will fill the gaps in this area through test data, expanding the knowledge on the use of STS and therefore benefiting the partner organisation.

Faculty Supervisor:

Frank Lam

Student:

Giulia Natalini

Partner:

MyTiCon Timber Connectors Inc.

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

Program: