Thesis Defence: Abdul Basit (Master of Applied Science in Engineering)
You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and attendance information is included below: &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Date: June 17, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (PT)
Defence mode: Remote
Virtual Attendance: via Zoom
LINK TO JOIN: Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote attendance for online defences.
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Thesis entitled: EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF TWO STOREY BALLOON FRAMED COUPLED CLT SHEAR WALLS
Abstract: The growing demand for sustainable urban development has accelerated the adoption of mass timber systems, with cross-laminated timber (CLT) emerging as a promising solution due to its structural efficiency. While platform-type CLT shear walls are currently included in design standards such as the NBCC and CSA-O86, balloon-type configurations provide various advantages such as reduced cumulative shrinkage and fewer floor-level connections.
In this thesis, the seismic performance of two-storey balloon-type coupled-panel CLT shear walls was evaluated through full-scale experimental testing. Different connection configurations: i) screw orientation in hold-downs (HD); ii) stiffness of vertical joints (VJ); and iii) addition of tension straps (TS) and horizontal splices were evaluated to study their impact on lateral load resistance, stiffness, cyclic strength degradation, and energy dissipation.
Across all tests, walls with mixed-angle HD demonstrated higher initial strength than shear-only configurations at lower drift levels but experienced more strength degradation at larger drifts. Increasing VJ stiffness enhanced performance. At the maximum drift of 5.7%, all balloon-type CLT wall configurations maintained global stability despite significant inelastic deformation and localized connection damage.
Compared to platform-type systems, balloon-framed walls achieved improved lateral resistance and more uniform inter-storey drift distribution. The findings provide valuable insight into the seismic behavior of balloon-type CLT shear walls and emphasize the critical role of connection detailing in achieving resilient structural performance.
Defence Committee:
Chair: Dr. Zoe Meletis, University of Northern British Columbia
Supervisor: Dr. Thomas Tannert, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Fei Tong, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Md Shahnewaz, Fast+Epp
External Examiner: Dr. Minghao Li, University of British Columbia
Contact Information
Graduate Administration in the Office of the Registrar, University of Northern British Columbia  &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Email: grad-office@unbc.ca
Web:  https://www2.unbc.ca/graduate-programs &²Ô²ú²õ±è;