Less is More – Optimised Ribbed CLT Plates – The Future

This paper presents a new type of cross laminated timber (CLT) plates called “Xlam ribbed plates” (XR-lam),with timber ribs glued within the CLT plate’s structure. The main objective of the newly proposed plates isto optimise the structural performance of regular CLT in terms of material use by incorporating the ribs intothe main panel’s structure in a single production process and without increasing the production costs. The newplates were numerically modelled and experimentally tested both as floor and wall elements. Apart from amuch better material utilisation, they demonstrate high load bearing properties and resilient behaviour.