RESEARCH GRANT AWARD: RGA #04-23 - Steel / Mass Timber Hybrid Diaphragms and Vibration

The Charles Pankow Foundation (CPF) is pleased to announce the award of a new research grant to investigate the diaphragm and vibration behavior of steel-cross laminated timber (CLT) floors through experimental testing and numerical simulations.

This research will catalyze innovation within the building construction field by enabling efficient and effective designs of steel-CLT floors. There is growing interest in using mass timber products in buildings. One ideal combination of building materials is steel and mass timber, as they uniquely complement each other with sustainability benefits, the ability to span longer distances with steel beams, and a high-degree of prefabrication that has the potential to increase the speed of construction.

This project aligns very well with the vision of Charles Pankow Foundation: To provide the AEC industry with a better way to design and build.

The project team has been specifically assembled to bring together the experts in research, practicing design, and code writing who have demonstrated successful past performance with other innovative structural systems:

  • Erica Fischer: Associate Professor, School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University. Professor Fischer is the co-lead Principal Investigator.
  • Adam Phillips: Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. Professor Phillips is the co-lead Principal Investigator.

Industry Champions include Ron Klemencic of MKA and Emily Guglielmo of Martin / Martin. Industry Partners are:


Next REPORT ANNOUNCEMENT: RGA #06-22, Live Load Research