Mechanical Characterization of Timber Structural Elements Using Integral Mechanical Attachments

Abstract

Automation is increasingly present in the construction industry, whether at the design, manufacturing or assembly stage. Thanks to new technologies, such as robotics, new ways of designing structural elements can be imagined and implemented. Complex methods and sequences of assembly can be set up quickly as well. Numerous studies have been carried out in this direction at the laboratory for timber constructions IBOIS (EPFL) especially on wood-wood connections called Integral Mechanical Attachments (IMA). This paper is focused on the mechanical characterization of a prefabricated structural element entirely made of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) panels produced by a fully robotized line. In order to avoid bonding process due to cost, ecological and time reasons, IMA using OSB have been chosen to connect each prefabricated element. Experimental tests and numerical models have been developed to determine the mechanical response of such structural elements.