National Center for Wood Transportation Structures

About the research

The use of cross-laminated-timber (CLT) has gained popularity over the past decade, with many advances stemming from completed research and construction projects located in Europe. In particular, CLT has been utilized in vertical construction projects where many of its inherent features have been maximized. To name a few, CLT is prefabricated, relatively lightweight, dimensionally stable, and environmentally sustainable. Despite these advances, the use of CLT in bridge structures has been limited and the adoption of CLT into governing design codes has been slow-going.

CLT shows promise as a complimentary or alternative construction material in bridge decks. Additional research would benefit the characterization of these decks to further guide the appropriate use in bridge projects. This study plan provides the steps intended to characterize the structural characteristics of CLT bridge decks subjected to typical traffic loads.

The objective of this project is to conduct a laboratory investigation of the feasibility of CLT as a primary structural material for highway bridge applications. CLT bridge deck performance will be compared with equivalent glulam bridge systems based both on a strength and serviceability basis.