Experimental and Numerical Study on Progressive Collapse Analysis of a Glulam Frame Structure:I.Side Column Exposed to Fire

This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations on progressive collapse behavior of a two-story glulam frame when the side column is exposed to ISO834 standard fire.The collapse mechanism initiated by fire is identified.The experimental results show that the progressive collapse of a glulam frame could be described for three stages,namely bending effect stage,catenary effect stage and failure stage,respectively.These stages are discussed in detail to understand the structural behavior before and during collapse.It is demonstrated that the entire frame slopes towards the side of the heated column,and the“overturning”collapse occurs eventually.The catenary effect of beams is the main reason for the progressive collapse of the frame.In addition,a finite element model of a glulam frame is established to simulate the progressive collapse behavior.The effects of axial loads on the columns are summarized.The numerical simulation results agree well with the experimental results,which could verify the effectiveness and practicability of finite element simulation.Furthermore,the progressive collapse resistance of the frame in practical design were proposed.

Effects of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Glulam Exposed to Outdoor Environment

This paper presents an experimental investigation to identify suitable indices to assess durability of glulam when subjected to freeze-thaw cycles in an exposed enviroenment.In this study,two types of glulam specimens were tested for their performance when subjected to different levels of aging due to freezing and thawing.Effect of aging treatment on various parameters including thickness swelling rate,static bending strength,elastic modulus,shear strength,and peeling rate of adhesive layer were studied.Obtained results showed that freeze-thaw aging treatment did not affect the water-resistance of the specimens as measured by thickness swelling rate and had little effect on the dimensional stability of the material.However,the applied aging treatment weakened the bending resistance of the glulam specimens with more pronounced effects on on low-density wood.On the other hand,bond strength of high-density wood was relatively more affected due to the appliedfreeze-thaw cycles.For highdensity wood,it is suggested that the shear strength of the adhesive layer be taken as an important index to determine the durability of freeze-thaw cycles aging.For low-density wood,on the other hand,the static bending strength can be used as an index to determine the durability of glulam under freeze-thaw cycles aging.