EVALUATION OF SHEAR CHARACTERISTICS ON CONTACT SURFACE BETWEEN SAND AND CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER BY DIRECT SHEAR TEST AND SURFACE OBSERVATION

Abstract

 Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), a building material, has been proposed to be used for soft ground improvement to promote the use of wood in the civil engineering field. In this method, CLT is placed horizontally or vertically in the ground, and the shear properties of the ground are necessary to evaluate its stability against slips. In this study, direct shear tests were conducted on a simulated dry sandy soil with CLTs installed in it. The results showed that the shear resistance between sand and wood was smaller than that sand only. Furthermore, the surface of the dry and saturated wood was observed using an electron microscope, and it was found that the height difference between the surfaces increases as the wood become saturated.