Validation and application of rational tying method for robustness design of post-and-beam timber buildings

The lack of reliable tying methods for the design of low and medium-rise mass timber buildings with regard to progressive collapse constitutes a strong limitation for the timber structural engineering community. In this context, the current work aims to validate and apply a recently developed rational tying force method for robustness design of post-and-beam timber buildings falling in low and medium consequence classes. This rational tying force method, which considers the requisite resistance via tying to the loss of a load-bearing member, preserves the simplicity of the prescriptive rules present in some current standards, while utilising a mechanical basis similar to that considered in alternative load path analysis. An extended example of the application of the new tying force method to a post-and-beam timber structure is reported in this work. The example highlights several critical aspects for achieving a robust design of post-and-beam timber structures. The results presented in this work show that the new tying force method represents a promising and practical strategy for robustness design of post-and-beam timber buildings.