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Dynamic Timber

A Practice Oriented Seismic Analysis Workflow for Tall Timber Structures with Variable Parameters

Student:

Mentors:

Annebel van der Meulen

Simona Bianchi

Michela Turrin

More information:

Timber has long been overshadowed by steel and concrete in large-scale construction, but growing sustainability concerns have spurred advancements to address its limitations. Engineered wood products have made large, fire-resistant timber sections more economical and reliable. Despite this progress, seismic design for tall timber structures remains challenging. Current modeling methods are time-intensive, yield inconsistent results, and fail to consider passive factors—like variability in moisture content and mass distribution—that affect structural behavior over time. This project develops a computational workflow for seismic analysis of tall timber structures that integrates seamlessly into the design process. It simplifies parameter setup using a semi component-level model, includes lifetime analysis to account for performance-altering variables, and outputs time-dependent data. This approach extends the scope of design analysis, enabling engineers to consider future structural behavior and produce more resilient designs.

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