Schlüsselwörter
(Englisch)
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Timber Structures; Life-cycle performance; failure assessment; robustness
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Forschungsprogramme
(Englisch)
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COST-Action E55 - Modelling of the performance of timber structures
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Kurzbeschreibung
(Englisch)
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The safe and sustainable use of materials in construction necessitates that the life-cycle performance of structures can be predicted and reassessed with sufficient accuracy. Recent research achievements in the field of materials science and structural reliability provide a framework for the quantification of safety, durability and life-cycle costs of structures. These achievements are so far mainly used in the field of concrete and steel structural engineering. The knowledge about the behaviour of timber materials and structures is still considered as being insufficient for its use in such a framework. The aim and main objective of the proposed research project is to provide the basic framework and knowledge required for the efficient and sustainable use of timber as a structural and building material. This will be achieved by building on four main research activities: the identification and modelling of relevant load and environmental exposure scenarios, the improvement of knowledge concerning the behaviour of timber structural elements, the development of a generic frame-work for the assessment of the life-cycle vulnerability and robustness of timber structures, and the improvement of methods for the evaluation of the strength and stiffness behaviour of existing timber structures. The proposed research project will be conducted in connection with the COST action E55. The expected achievements of the proposed research project will provide major contributions to this COST action. Simultaneously the COST action E55 will provide a platform of international experts to frequently discuss critically the achievements of the research project to the benefit of the overall impact and relevance of the work.
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Weitere Hinweise und Angaben
(Englisch)
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Full name of research-institution/enterprise: ETH Zürich Institut für Baustatik und Konstruktion IBK HIL E 23.2
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Partner und Internationale Organisationen
(Englisch)
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BE, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, IE, NL, NO, PT, SI, UK
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Abstract
(Englisch)
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The main objective of the present COST Action E55 is to provide a better understanding of the load bearing behaviour of timber structural elements and connections in construction. As it is obvious that this task is a major one, having occupied the timber research profession since decades, it is also clear that the defined goal in its broad sense cannot be achieved within the limited potential of one single COST activity. It is therefore of utmost importance that the activities and reinforcements within this action are directed to issues, which are found to be essential for the overall performance of timber structures. The work plan of WG I is mainly focused on this and the planned publication on the Assessment of Failures and Malfunctions will be an attempt to summarise an extract of experience and knowledge represented by the participants of this COST action. It became evident during the first discussions on this subject at the first Workshops of COST E55, that it is a necessity to present existing experience in a common format, using the same criteria and terminology. The project team elaborated a strong contribution to these discussions. Based on existing reports on the assessment of failures and malfunctions, a common evaluation raster was developed. Common criteria to describe the characteristics of failures in regard to building type, structural system, damaged building components, type of damage, and consequences of damage are given. Special attention is directed to the description of the cause of the failure. Here it is distinguished between unfortunate combination of high load and resistance, improper design rules and errors. The description of errors delivers a valuable insight that might be taken as the basis for the development of quality assurance strategies for the entire building process.
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Datenbankreferenzen
(Englisch)
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Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. +41 31 322 74 82 Swiss Project-Number: C06.0115
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