Analysis of timber-framed wall elements with openings

This paper presents an experimental analysis of timber-framed wall elements with openings, coated with single fibre-plaster boards (FPB) fastened to a timber frame. The aim of the study presented here was to provide the information about the influence of the openings on the wall’s racking load-carrying capacity as well as on the horizontal stiffness of the timber-framed wall element. The tests were carried out on three groups of full-scale wall panels with different areas of openings. The measured results were compared to the results of wall panels without openings (having the same dimensions and material properties) obtained from the previous research work. Subsequently, the strength/stiffness ratios, defined as the ratios of strength/stiffness of wall panels with openings to those of no-opening wall panels, were calculated. Finally, the obtained results were compared to two analytical procedures from the literature, namely the equations proposed by Yasumura and Sugiyama and by the Method B from Eurocode 5. The comparison shows that the present results are more comparable to the former procedure, while the later one in general gives higher values of strength/stiffness ratios. The presented experimental study also emphasizes the conclusion that the timber-framed wall elements containing an opening may be accounted to contribute to the overall horizontal load-carrying capacity, especially when a considerable part of the structure is made of such panels.