Experimental investigation into lateral performance of cross-laminated timber shear walls made from fast-growing poplar wood

Structural tests for seven full-scale cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear walls were conducted under cyclic lateral loading to investigate the feasibility of using fast-growing poplar in CLT structures. Connection tests with monotonic loads were performed to calculate the later bearing capacity of CLT shear walls. The effects of wood species, artificial accelerated aging, vertical step joint, and laminate strength class on the later performance of CLT were determined. Test results show that poplar CLT panels had potential application in CLT structures, with only an 8% difference in structural properties compared to spruce CLT. Accelerated aging reduced the mechanical properties of poplar CLT and converted its failure mode from plasticity to brittleness. The elastic stiffness of a poplar CLT shear wall with a vertical step joint decreased, but the energy dissipation capacity increased 3.3-fold. The lamina strength class was not positively related with the lateral bearing capacity of these walls.