A framework for seismic analysis of timber structures

The simulation capabilities of a specifically developed phenomenological model for timber structures are described and presented through some representative case studies. This component model has been developed based on the behaviour of a single nail embedded in wood, considering the compressive behaviour of the wood and plasticization of the nail. As a result, the behaviour in cyclic conditions due to seismic actions, was modelled through a slip-type piecewise hysteretic relationship (Figure 1a), and some desirable features such as stiffness and strength degradation were included. Most of the connections employed in timber structures use nails or screws, allowing the application of the proposed framework to various types of subassemblies and to full-scale structures. In particular, this framework has been used to simulate various timber building typologies, such as light-frame, cross-laminated (Figure 1b), loghouse (Figure 1c) and moment-resisting frame structures, at different levels, from the single nail (Figure 1d) to the whole joint behaviour. Hence, a discussion on the results from non-linear static and dynamic analyses is provided, contributing to the improvement of the numerical methods adopted in literature until now.