Performance of nail-laminated composite floors

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Although the benefits of using timber in non-residential construction are undisputed, there are perceived shortcomings with respect to the serviceability of timber floors, specifically, vibration, deflection, acoustic and fire encapsulation. Overcoming these shortcomings will allow timber, and its wood product derivatives, to further expand into the construction sector. Hybrid structures that integrate engineered wood products (EWPs) with other materials, such as concrete, can significantly increase the use of timber in structures beyond current limitations. Timber-concrete-composite (TCC) floors are a successful example of hybrid structural components and are commonly used in Europe. The main consideration when designing TCC floors is the appropriate connector performance as is the governing design factor. In the Engage project, one specific low-cost but high-performance TCC system (combination of nail-laminated timber decks and truss plates as connector) will be tested under different test set-ups (small-scale shear tests to determine the connector performance and full-scale bending tests to determine the floor performance). The research will allow the industry partner to safely design TCC floors and will further lay the groundwork for subsequent collaborative research addressing a wider range of design parameters and a wider range of applications of TCC floors in timber-based hybrid structures. The project has the potential to have an impact on the structural use of timber, increase its market share in a variety of applications, and thus positively influence sustainability of the construction industry by using more renewable resources.