Embedment Strength of New Zealand Cross Laminated Timber (1)

As an innovative engineered timber product, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) has gained popularity in New Zealandand world-wide over the last couple of decades. However, structural design with CLT is not currently coveredby the New Zealand Timber Structures Standard NZS3603:1993 (NZS3603). Connection design with CLT is oftena challenging task for designers, due to the cross-wise layup of timber laminations. Embedment strength is animportant design parameter in timber connection design, and is not explicitly presented in the current versionof NZS3603. Therefore, there is a need to establish and verify current design formulas for CLT embedmentstrength to give designers the required tools for safe connection design. This paper presents an experimentalstudy evaluating the embedment strength of New Zealand made CLT. A total of 331 specimens with four differentCLT layups and three different dowel diameters were subjected to half-hole embedment tests described in theASTM D5764-97a test standard. The test results showed that the embedment strength formula given in the CLTHandbook, is generally applicable for New Zealand CLT made of radiata pine and the difference between theexperimental results and the calculation results was within 5%.