Lakehead researchers design, test and patent innovative mass timber connection
Researchers from Lakehead University have made a breakthrough in the field of mass-timber building construction.
Dr. Sam Salem, associate professor and chair of the civil engineering department, and graduate student Cory Hubbard have developed, tested and patented an innovative mass timber beam-to-column that offers greater fire protection between building components.
"Currently, an exciting trend in building design is the growing use of mass timber in high-rise buildings,” Salem says. “With advanced research on the structural fire performance of innovative building systems, mass timber tall buildings can reach heights comparable to those made of other materials such as concrete and steel.”
The new connection configuration uses two fully concealed, mechanically fastened steel rods in glulam beam sections. The connection offers an hour of fire resistance without any additional protection.
The researchers describe their testing in an article in leading fire-safety engineering journal, Elsevier. An abstract is available here.
“Fire is a serious hazard for all buildings regardless of the construction material in use,” Salem says. “Advantageously, and unlike light-frame wood construction, mass timber like the glulam sections utilized in the innovative beam-to-column connection in this research char on the outside when exposed to fire while retaining strength and slowing combustion.”
The new timber beam-to-column connection configuration has received a patent certificate from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada – Canadian Intellectual Property Office (Patent No. 3045195) and patent-pending status in the USA.
“I followed the model ‘keep it simple’ when designing this connection,” Hubbard said. “It is strong and simple to create, has repeatable results, and looks good too. It will please both the architect and the engineer for its concealed design and performance in fire with no addition of extra ugly fire protection.”
The research was funded through a Discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.