Theses and Dissertations

Wenqi Wang

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Philip Gullett, Philip

Committee Member

Eamon, Christopher

Committee Member

Rais-Rohani, Masoud

Date of Degree

5-1-2010

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Civil Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Abstract

This thesis introduces a new adjustment factor for the probability-based load and resistance factor (LRFD) design for wood structures. By investigating the empirical data of reaction forces for a wooden house built by the Forest Product Laboratory in 2001, it is found that the reaction values exhibit great variability. To explore the causes of this variability, a 3-D finite element model is built and analyzed using commercial software MSC/Nastran. It is found that differences in member geometry are a major cause of reaction variability. In examining the potential effect the reaction variability might have on the structural safety, reliability is assessed for two different types of wood products under several different situations. Finally, a new adjustment factor Ks, which accounts for the variability in load path, is obtained and validated based on structural reliability theory.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/14984

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