Case-Study on the Creep Behavior of Interconnected Timber Elements using Wood-Wood Connections

With the increasing use of automation and computer-aided manufacturing in timber construction, a standardized timber construction system using digitally produced wood-wood connections has recently been developed for basic building components. Its structural performance has already been characterized with static bending tests in a previous case-study. Based on this work, the creep behavior of such a construction system is investigated in this paper. An experimental test was conducted in outdoor conditions to perform a simple quantitative and comparative study with the creep-reduction factor k de f for wood-wood connections described in the Eurocode 5 standard. A large-scale specimen was placed on two supports under a ventilated shelter and exposed to natural variations of humidity and temperature over a total period of approximately 400 days. The results were reassuring for the long-term performance of this type of construction system. Creep due to the connections accounted for 25% of the final displacement. In addition, the existing guidelines concerning the factor k de f for wood-wood connections were conservative for this specific configuration and could be optimized with future investigations on this topic.