Structural Design and Testing of Mass Timber Concrete Composite Floor Solutions with Acoustic Interlayers

Timber-concrete composite (TCC) solutions originated in the early twentieth century. There has been a renewed interest in TCC solutions in modern mass timber buildings, especially for floor systems. However due to lack of data, design standards, and code acceptance, TCC solutions require that new mass timber solutions be tested, and design methods validated or adjusted based on new findings. This thesis characterizes the interface shear and flexural properties of different TCC solutions through an experimental testing program that combined mass-ply panels (MPP), reinforced concrete topping, and various interface layers and connection systems to create novel composite floor systems. Fifteen TCC solutions are presented. These consist of 102 mm thick MPP, 75 mm thick reinforced concrete topping, two interface shear connection solutions (screws and steel mesh), and three levels of acoustic insulation layer (no insulation, 5mm layer, 19mm layer). Structural tests performed included: (1) Pushout tests, (2) Comparative one-way bending tests, and (3) Orthotropic stiffness tests. Within the experimental program design, pushout and comparative one-way bending test results indicate that higher stiffness and strength can be achieved with interface shear solutions that included steel mesh versus those that included screws. In addition, inclusion of insulation layers results in statistically significant reduction of strength and stiffness in floor solutions that include screws, while increased stiffness and negligible reductions in strength were observed in solutions that include the steel mesh