Structural Behaviour of Cross-Laminated Timber Panels by the State Space Approach

Over the last few years, Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels have become increasingly popular in many structural applications. The growth in CLT uptake by the construction sector is likely to continue in line with the pressing need for sustainable construction. Although current design methods exist for CLT, often these have limits of applicability. In order to gain upmost efficiency, there is a need for improved analytical methods to fully determine the structural behaviour of CLT. In this article, CLT panels will be investigated as a novel application of the State Space Approach (SSA). As CLT is a laminated composite panel, the 3D analytical approach provided by the SSA is highly applicable. Comparison with existing experimental results for different CLT panels are explored for simply supported orthotropic CLT panels under different types of loading. The effect of the plate thickness on displacements and stresses is described quantitatively. The results demonstrate the capability of the SSA method to capture the nonlinear distribution of the stresses through the depth of the plates over a range of thicknesses, thus offering an improved understanding of CLT structural behaviour.