A nonlinear dynamic model for collapse investigations in tall timber buildings: Preliminary results

Structural robustness of timber buildings is becoming increasingly relevant because of the increasing use of timber in the built environment. An important tool for assessing the robustness of any structure is an efficient numerical model capable of simulating progressive collapse. With such a model, physical tests can be limited to a few carefully selected validation tests and the robustness of a wide range of building typologies and geometries can be investigated efficiently. In this paper, a parametric nonlinear dynamic model for simulating progressive collapse of timber buildings is presented. Because of the parametric capabilities of the model, a vast range of buildings can be modelled. Moreover, the entirety of a collapse can be simulated with the recently developed mixed element method and the implementation of stress- and energy-based failure criteria for normal loading and impact loading. To demonstrate the capabilities of the model, a case study is presented on a symmetrical three-dimensional frame building with varying cross-sectional member dimensions. The model is an indispensable tool for investigating the robustness of timber buildings.
World Conference on Timber Engineering WCTE 2023
ISBN:9781713873273