Load sharing and weakest lamina effects on the compressive resistance of cross-laminated timber under in-plane loading

A new approach was developed to predict the compressive resistance of cross-laminated timber (CLT) using the compressive strength of small samples of different grade lamina from E12 and E8 larch, and E10 and E6 nut pine. CLT of three different thicknesses was manufactured using different grades of laminas from each species. To evaluate the compressive resistance of CLT, three different methods were employed. The first method was used to determine the compressive resistance, which was predicted by multiplying the compressive strength of lamina aligned with the loading direction, and the cross-sectional areas of the lamina. The second method is similar to the first method, but additionally considering the stiffness ratio of the laminas. The third method developed from the current study accounts for load sharing and weakest lamina effects in the prediction of compressive resistance. When the lower 5th percentile compressive resistance in a major direction was predicted using the first two methods, the difference between the experimental test and the predicted value ranged from 2.5 to 43.4%. However, when the compressive resistance in a major direction was predicted using the developed method from the current study, the difference between the experimental test and predicted value ranged from − 8.7 to 10.8%.