Progress 12/10/13 to 10/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Undergraduate students, graduate students, research scientists, faculty, forest industry manufacturers, and natural resource policy makers and stakeholders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The webinar courses and related short courses developed through this project have been offered to more than 750 practicing engineers, architects and building officials involved in wood building construction. These courses can be directly applied to continuing education credits for practicing license requirements (e.g. Professional Engineering and AIA licenses). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The findings and results of this project have been disseminated to the target audience through the webinar format as well as complementary short courses. Also, graduate students and undergraduate students received technical information through course lectures, homework, and projects. Students have been able to study, critically analyze, and in some cases, add to the materials disseminated. Meetings with peers and professionals to present and review resulting materials has provided outside perspectives for comprehensiveness and quality assurance in the results. Information has also been presented at conferences for academics, design professionals and engineers and published in conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
An initial literature review has compiled design procedures utilized for softwood and hardwood cross-laminated timber (CLT) to help facilitate the use of a wide range of wood species for CLT production. The literature also compiled manufacturing procedures for CLT to help promote and facilitate the creation of manufacturing business in CLT production. Lab testing has confirmed that southern yellow pine (Pinus spp.) and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is equivalent to or greater than the allowable design strength values specified by CLT grading rules. Teaching courseware and educational materials on impacts related to design and durability of CLTs have been updated to include this information. Documentary photographs have been integrated into teaching and educational materials and CLT user guides to illustrate deterioration issues (primarily due to moisture) in CLTs along with causes and best practices to prevent in future applications. College course teaching materials on CLT durability has also been disseminated in a webinar format freely available to practicing engineers, architects, and building officials who are responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of wood buildings across the U.S.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Quesada, H., Smith, R., Loferski, J.R., and Berger, G. 2019. Visual Inspection of Cross-laminated Timber Buildings in Austria. Submitted for publication to ASCE Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities.
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Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for this project includes engineers, architects, engineers, fellow scientists, researchers, and building officials. We have also continued previous efforts targetingboth graduate students and undergraduate students through course lectures, homework, and projects. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The webinar and the short course offered to professionals directly applies tocontinuing education credits for practicing license requirements (Professional Engineering and AIA licenses). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated to the target audience through the webinar and short course. Also, graduate students and undergraduate students receive technical information through course lectures, homework, and projects. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Prepare and submit a manuscript for publication in an appropriate technical journal that details the project resultsand present the results at a professional conference.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Through the webinar format, we have disseminated technical information to more than 750 practicing engineers, architects and building officials who are responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of wood buildings across the US. Through the American Wood Council website, an archive of this webinar is freely available to the target audience in the future. This accomplishment applies to both of the project objectives relatedto durability and utility.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Solutions for Durability Related Issues (DES132). American Wood Council. Webinar, Thursday, September 20, 2018. Presenter: Joseph Loferski.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Structural Design of Wood Buildings. 2 day Short Course, Blacksburg, VA. April 2018. Instructors: Frank E. Woeste, Joseph Loferski, John Showalter. 60 participants.
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Graduate students, undergraduate students, design professionals (engineers & architects), residential and commercial builders. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Technical personnel were guided in the process for building the library content. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results have primarily been disseminated to both graduate students and undergraduate students through course lectures, homework, and projects. Students are able to study, critically analyze, and in some cases, add to thematerials disseminated. Informal meetings with peers and professionals to present and review course materials have provided outside perspectives for comprehensiveness and quality assurance in the results.This vetting process through students and peersprovides feedback allowing the investigators to modify and improve information and results before releasing to all our communities of interest at a larger scale. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Projectresults, technologies, and guidelines for improving the durability of CLT structures are being compiled and reviewed. These materials will be published in appropriate peer-reviewed journals. These published articles will form the basis fora user-guide and tutorial for engineers, architects, and building professionals. For the improving of the utility of CLT structures through more effective manufacturing technologies, a master's-level graduate student project will be directed towards the application of computer aided design and manufacturing technologies.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We have continued to build our library of documentary materials related to CLT buildings includingphotographs, graphics, "do's and don'ts", and answers to frequently asked questions. To help address our first objective in "design for durability", this library will be the basis to prepare technical papers that will ultimately be combined into a user-guide and tutorial for engineers, architects, and building professionals. In addressing our second objective in "design for utility", we are developing a system to codify information and best practices learned in Objective one that can readily be used in computer aided design and manufacturing systems.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Lumber manufacturers, design professionals (engineers & architects), graduate students, and undergraduate students Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have developed an interdisciplinary group of facultyto serve on a planning committee to help represent and bring together a wide variety of professionals requiring technical information on creative and innovative uses of wood. A key responsibility of this committee is to help guide the curricula for training and professional development needs related to design and construction of CLT buildings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The findings from our accomplishments along with organizational efforts from our interdisciplinary faculty planning committee were showcased in a symposium conducted at Virginia Tech. This symposium included innovative designconcepts for CLT structures and reached over 100 participants including architects, engineers, builders, facultyand students. Other activities have included discussions with nationally recognized CLT design experts. One of these experts has given a guest lecture to our students. We have also visited and been in contact with one softwood and one hardwoodlumber manufacturer to disseminate technical information on how manufacturers can participate in CLT markets. The technical information provided wasbased on the feasibility of using locally provided materials that might enable future demand of durable CLT structures. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Knowledge of moisture control and water-shedding design technologies will be published in appropriate journals and other media such as community of practice websites. Knowledge about guidelines for improving the manufacture of CLT components are still in the developmental phase. We will share examples of how computer aided technologies can be utilized to help mitigate some of the observed water-shedding problems in the construction of CLT structures.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Related to our design for durability objective, we have obtained documentary photographs highlighting construction details of CLT buildings. These photographs are being used to develop an understanding of deterioration issues in existing CLT buildings from both Europe and the United States. Many of these buildings are over 10 years old and construction problems that lead to deterioration are beginning to manifest themselves in the form of moisture related problems.Problems such as water trapping joints, cladding (or lack thereof), ground contact, windows, doors, and other penetration through CLT panels, and other water intrusion locations have been observed. Many CLT buildings include decks and balconies that further lead to problems related to water trapping. We are incorporating our primary observations along with secondary findings from the literature to prepare technical papers for designers and buildersof CLT buildings to minimize deterioration and durability problems.Related to our design for utility objective #2, we are in the beginning stages of preparing course materials utilizing acomputer aided design and computer aided manufacturing technologies to help mitigate some of the problems observed in the results found from Objective #1.
Publications
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Design professionals, engineers, architects, and students. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Provided guidance in technical writing to graduate student. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The prepared teaching materials were used for academic instruction; an MS thesis was added to the Virginia Tech electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Knowledge about moisture control and water-shedding design technologies are still in the developmental phase. More examples of moisture related failures and mechanisms involved are being studied to further develop this knowledge to recommend best practices in manufacturing, erecting, and maintaining CLT structures.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The structural performance of local hardwood species such as yellow poplar and southern yellow pine has been confirmed to be equivalent or greater in terms of strength and stiffness properties specified in CLT grading rules. These findings have beenincorporated into teaching courseware and educational materials on impacts related to proper design for long-term durability. Research resultsfor manufacturing and ensuring quality control for CLT panelsare now available but still needto be incorporated into guidelines that impact the design for utility.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Richardson, Benjamin L. 2015. Examination of the Lateral Resistance of Cross-Laminated Timber in Panel-Panel Connections. MS Thesis, Virginia Tech.
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Progress 12/10/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Builders, design professionals, engineers, and manufacturers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A technical paper has been presented at conference for timber engineers and design professionals and also published in the conference proceedings. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? For Design for durability, guidelines will be developed for moisture control and water-shedding technology and design principles. Related to design for utility, computer numerical control (CNC) routers will be used to investigate its application for incorporating quality machining to produce electrical, heating, and ventilation chase-ways as well as assembly connections. Project results will be shared at conferences and published in appropriate scientific proceedings and journals. If funding is available, site visits to examine state of the art applications and manufacturing of CLT in Canada and Europe will be conducted.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Design for long-term durability of CLT buildings is being studied. It has been shown that design procedures developed for softwood CLT can be used for hardwood CLT also. This finding means that existing design procedures are applicable to a wide range of wood species for CLT production. Design for utility of CLT - Literature review conducted on manufacturing procedures. Currently no manufacturing is conducted in the U.S. and much of the literature review is being evaluated for its feasibility and application in the U.S.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Beagley, K*. Loferski, J.R., Hindman D., Bouldin, J. 2014. Investigation of Hardwood Cross-laminated Timber Design . Proc. World Conf. on Timber Engineering, Quebec Canada. Pp8.
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