Developing a Design Procedure for Cross Laminated Timber Mats

Cross-laminated Timber (CLT), a new generation of engineered wood product developed initially in Europe, is a relatively innovative building system of interest in the North American construction and is helping to define a new class of timber products known as massive or “mass” timber. This material has been gaining popularity in residential and non-residential applications in several countries due to many advantages it can offer: high dimension stability, high strength and stiffness, high level of prefabrication, fire resistant, cost and energy efficient, renewable and biodegradable, sustainable, and good thermal and sound insulator. However, CLT represents a complicated material whose behavior is difficult to predict in various applications and requires care from the engineers and researchers. Due to the increase of the use of CLT mats for industrial, construction and environmental applications, CLT mats are currently used in industrial applications, this study presents the analysis and behavior of such mats. Three-dimensional non-linear finite element models, using ANSYS, have been created, analyzed and compared with previous experimental work previously performed to validate the models. The model includes detailed modeling, analysis and investigation of the wood material supported by soil. This research shows a non-linear finite element analysis model that can predict CLT behavior. Damage models of CLT is used to determine the failure modes of this material. The analysis results are compared with current industrial practices published guides and highlight the limitations of such procedures. Lastly, a design procedure was developed for the analysis of different configurations such mats.