Project Grant 2625976

The National Science Foundation Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation awarded the University of Utah $290,050 on January 1, 2027, to develop and validate a multimodal orthotropic shear field theory for engineering design of mass timber structures under NSF Engineering program funding (CFDA 47.041).

The research combines large-scale laboratory testing with theoretical modeling to explain and predict how engineered timber panels resist complex force combinations in regions where forces concentrate—around door and window openings, at notches and penetrations in beams, and at connections between floors and walls. Current design methods for these discontinuity regions rely on simplified empirical rules rather than mechanistic behavior, limiting both safety margins and design economy. The award supports experimental work using the University of Houston's Universal Panel Tester, a facility capable of applying precisely controlled biaxial and torsional stress states to isolate shear failure modes of cross-laminated timber, including gross shear, net shear, and combined shear-torsion modes. The resulting theoretical models will support safer and more economical tall wood building design, strengthen national design standards, and train students and practicing engineers for the mass timber construction sector.

Performance is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a period of performance from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2029.