Balloon frame shear wall testing with UNBC complete

May 8, 2020

In partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Prince George, Fast + Epp has completed a small suite of tests for multi-storey continuous cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear walls.

The half-scale, two-storey two-panel CLT shear walls have underwent testing in anticipation to use for the upcoming Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary School project as well as the Bayview Elementary School project. The testing aims to establish their seismic performance and compare to a typical single-storey CLT shear wall. Multi-storey shear walls can reduce construction time and the number of connections required in this type of system.

In the following video, the testing was facilitated to determine ductility (i.e. how well it would behave in an earthquake), and we measured the movement of the wall and when the failure occurred. These tests have been completed successfully and the initial analysis is showing promising results. Data analysis is still ongoing at this time.

 

More photos of the tests: