One current research effort is focused on the determination of the response of the I-joists used in a flooring system. The composite action of this system is being examined to quantify the change in overall stiffness of the floor system as a result of the type of connector used between the sheathing and the joist. A dynamic analysis is also being performed to examine serviceability, especially vibration, concerns resulting from different bracing schemes used. The creep response of the component elements of the floor system will be used to model and predict the creep response of the floor system. These elastic constants will be used to model the structural properties of composite engineering wood products fabricated from the EWPs.
Further goals are to use the model to optimize section geometries for specific end uses.
Development, comparison, and refinement of laboratory test methods to determine the several elastic constants, including the moduli of elasticity and shear moduli, are included in this work. New efforts focus on the modeling of structural diaphragms for glulam framed wood buildings. Project goals are to model and predict the load paths of in-plane forces in wood structural diaphragms and to incorporate findings into diaphragm design of the entire building.