Geographically Distributed Hybrid Testing of a Multi-Storey Timber Structure on Compliant Soil: Pilot Design

Timber construction is rapidly advancing in structural engineering due to its benefits, such as light weight, ease of prefabrication, and contribution to societal goals. With an increase in building height, however, knowledge garnered by coupling advance modelling and experimental testing will enable designers to push the boundary further. The ERIES-HYSTERESIS project will use geographically distributed hybrid testing to investigate energy dissipation characteristics and soil-structure interaction (SSI) responses of multi-story buildings constructed with mass timber. Testing large-scale timber structures with SSI considerations poses unique challenges, requiring an innovative hybrid testing methodology. Geographically distributed hybrid simulation involves designing a representative pilot structure and dividing it into subcomponents for simultaneous testing. This paper details the 3D design of the pilot structure, considering constraints required for hybrid testing. SSI is addressed as a critical factor, with the objective of identifying the hierarchy of failure between the soil, the wall-foundation connection and the hold-downs. A balance has been achieved between maintaining a realistic design and ensuring the experimental requirements remain within the capabilities of the involved laboratories.