Experimental Performance of Timber-Concrete Slab-to-Concrete Wall Connections Under Gravitational and Lateral In-Plane Loading

Abstract

In this research, the lateral and gravitational behaviors of four timber-concrete composite (TCC) slab-to-wall connections were tested to study their lateral and gravitational behaviors. Results showed that the lateral behavior of the connections was mainly controlled by the concrete slab, since the timber sections and connections remained mostly unaffected. The experimental results were contrasted with a linear finite element model built in ETABS, thus explaining why the experimental lateral strength was six times larger than that analytically obtained via ACI 318-19. As for the gravitational tests, results showed a higher shear capacity in connections with screws as the wall-to-slab connector than those with bars. In general, all the connections showed much higher strength and stiffness than those typically required by design code standards.