Assessment of Cross-Laminated Timber Panels by the State Space Approach

In this paper, Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels are investigated as a novel engineering application of the State Space Approach (SSA). As CLT is a laminated composite panel, the 3D analytical method provided by the SSA offers the potential for improved accuracy over existing common approaches to the analysis of CLT. Before focusing on the specific application to CLT, the general theory of the SSA is outlined. The method is then applied to describe the behaviour of a number of CLT panel configurations previously examined experimentally and analytically. In order to demonstrate the capability of the SSA in this application, the results are compared with those from various 2D and 3D analytical approaches and finite element modelling briefly. With a view to design, different failure criteria are explored to assess the ultimate strength of the CLT panels. The SSA demonstrates its superior capability in capturing the nonlinear distribution of the elastic stresses through the thickness of the CLT panels over a range of span to thickness ratios common in practical applications.