High strain rate effects on the performance of glued-laminated timber (GLT) panels subjected to far-field blast loads

The increasing number of taller timber structures, which require the use of mass timber panels, demands a thorough understanding of the dynamic response of such elements under simulated blast loads. This paper investigates the behaviour of glued-laminated timber panels (GLT) subjected to simulated blast loading using the Shock Tube testing facility. A total of sixteen spruce-pine GLT panels were subjected to out-of-plane static and dynamic loading under four-point loading with simply-supported boundary conditions. The strength increase factor for GLT panels was found within the range of 1.6–1.9. The dynamic increase factor under a high-strain rate equal to 0.2 s −1 was found to be 1.1. Both static and dynamic failure behaviour were consistent and characterised as simple tension flexural failure. A single-degree-of-freedom model was used to predict the dynamic behaviour of the GLT panels and showed good agreement with experimental results when proper inputs were used.