| Project Team: | Sudhanva Kusuma-ChandraShekhara, Tomaž Hozjan, Robert Pečenko |
| Duration: | 36 Months 1. 4. 2024 – 31. 3. 2027 |
| Project Code: | CRESTIMB |
| Lead Partner: | VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (VTT) |
| Project Leader: | Sabina Huč (vodja slovenskega dela projekta) |
| Other project Partner’s Organization: | Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norveška University of Galway, Irska Trinity College Dublin, Irska University of L’Aquila, Italija Łukasiewicz Research Network – Poznań Institute of Technology, Poljska Łukasiewicz – ORGMASZ, Poljska UNSW, Avstralija Puutuoteteollisuus ry, Finska Moelven Limtre AS, Norveška Coillte, Irska Medite Smartply, Irska Lamel legno Srl (podporni partner), Italija RothoblaasSrl (podporni partner), Italija HARCO Ltd (podporni partner), Slovenija |
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Description:
CRESTIMB aims to develop an innovative timber system suitable for multi-storey buildings with open spaces. The proposed system will include moment-resisting frames made of softwood or hardwood glue-laminated timber with innovative beam-to-column connections, and dowel cross laminated floor panels. With the objective to ensure an increased service life and the possibility of reuse, the long-term behaviour of the system components will be investigated with an advanced numerical model including the rheology of wood under variable indoor climates. The numerical analyses will be assisted by experiments on softwood and hardwood samples, as well as full size tests. The analysis results, in terms of creep deformations, moisture induced stresses and the related crack risk, will be made accessible through the VTT Modelling Factory environment and applied in environmental assessment studies including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
Main Goals:
Key scientific and technological objectives: 1. To propose the concept of an innovative timber building system composed of moment-resisting beam-column connections with screwed-in threaded rods, softwood or hardwood (or hybrid) glued laminated timber (glulam) for beams and columns, and dowel laminated timber panels for floors. 2. To increase the service life of the proposed timber building system to 100 years, for indoor conditions, by investigating its long-term performance under indoor climate variations using an improved numerical model for the rheology of wood. 3. To assess and validate the improved numerical model for rheology of wood under humidity and temperature variations in indoor conditions using short- and long-term experiments on small softwood and hardwood samples and full-scale components of the proposed structural timber system. The numerical model, based on the definition of the viscoelastic and mechano-sorptive creep coefficients in the three wood directions, will provide outputs for the design and control of the wood components of the proposed system. 4. To actively collaborate with the CRESTIMB Industry Group in order to develop improved system components and ensure that the proposed system is feasible and cost-effective. 5. To develop a Data Interface by using the VTT Modelling Factory environment providing a common database system for lifecycle data processing. It will provide a generic/common interface to the calculated datasets and allow the intake of new ones. The data and metadata in the Data Interface will be accessible to a wide variety of software systems. 6. To present practical examples of use of the project database with external environmental assessment software (LCA). The examples will be selected to highlight the effect of the calculated service life on the overall environmental impact of the component in different situations (such as maintenance and replacement of the components with shorter service life than design, or reuse of components with longer service life). 7. To deliver guidelines for the service life assessment of wood-based components for innovative building systems including the interpretation of the long-term effects of their rheological behaviour.