Cyclic Testing of Three-Story Mass Timber Building Structure with Coupled Self-Centering Rocking Walls

In self-centering rocking walls (SCRWs), mass timber panels can be combined with post-tensioned rods and energy dissipation devices to create low-damage designs. In this paper, a mass timber SCRW consisting of coupled veneer laminated timber (VLT) panels, vertical post-tensioning, and interpanel U-shaped flexural plates was designed using the direct displacement–based design (DDBD) methodology. This coupled VLT-SCRW was experimentally tested as the shear wall of a three-story mass timber building structure to validate the DDBD methodology for the system at full-scale and to characterize its unique behavior. The physical experiment followed a cyclic, quasi-static loading protocol with loads applied to the building structure by actuators at the three floor levels. Structural performance objectives were targeted at three levels of seismic hazards, including building drifts and component limit states. Test results indicate that the structural performance objectives were met, validating this particular design procedure within the bounds of the testing program. The system achieved a ductility ratio of 5.69 and a postyield stiffness ratio of 0.123. A high post-tensioning ratio of 0.81 was selected to meet moment demands in the presence of construction constraints, leading to yielding at a peak interstory drift ratio of 4%.