Analysis of failures in timber structures

based on a Nordic project

Eva Frühwald, LTH
COST E 55, Graz, 2007-05-14
project title: Innovative design, a new strengh paradigm for
joints, QA and reliability for long-span wood construction

• financed by Vinnova (Sweden) and Tekes (Finland) as well as several

companies
• 2004-2007
• partners
– Sweden: LTH, Växjö university, SP, Limträteknik AB
– Finland: VTT
• project parts
– Performance of high capacity dowel type and rubber joints – Effect of
short-term and long-term loading, of moisture and innovative design
(VTT, LTH-Structural Mechanics, Växjö university, SP)
– Reliability and competence in timber construction
(LTH-Structural Engineering, VTT, SP, Limträteknik AB)
– Quality assurance of timber construction based on failure experience
(VTT)
project title: Innovative design, a new strengh paradigm for
joints, QA and reliability for long-span wood construction

• financed by Vinnova (Sweden) and Tekes (Finland) as well as several

companies
• 2004-2007
• partners
– Sweden: LTH, Växjö university, SP, Limträteknik AB
– Finland: VTT
• project parts
– Performance of high capacity dowel type and rubber joints – Effect of
short-term and long-term loading, of moisture and innovative design
(VTT, LTH-Structural Mechanics, Växjö university, SP)
– Reliability and competence in timber construction
(LTH-Structural Engineering, VTT, SP, Limträteknik AB)
– Quality assurance of timber construction based on failure experience
(VTT)
 report
1. Introduction
2. Experience from previous
failure investigations
3. Survey of failure cases –
methodology
4. Results and interpretation of
the information collected
5. How can we learn from
previous failures?
6. Summary and conclusions
Appendix
appendix
– overview with classification
– 127 failure cases, 1-2 pages
per case (162 pages)
 why should we learn from previous
failures / collapses ?
Hypothesis:
All failures are caused by human errors.
• Errors of knowledge (inadequate training in relation to tasks)

• Errors of performance (non-professional performance,

carelessness)

• Errors of intent (consciously taking

short-cuts and risk to save time/money)

[Kaminetzky]
 previous studies: common failure causes
• concrete
– material quality (concrete mix, impurities, cement type,...)
– work execution (vibration, placement of rebars, removal of formwork,…)
– structural design and detailing (joints, openings, supports,…)
• steel
– insufficient temporary bracing during construction
– errors in design / construction mainly of connections and details
– deficient welding
– excessive flexibility and nonredundant design
– Vibration induced failures
– stability type failures
– fatigue and brittle failure
– corrosion damage
• timber
– inadequate behaviour of joints
– effects of moisture exposure (imposed strains, shrinkage)
– poor durability performance
– inadequate bracing of structural system
– inadequate performance of material and products
– inadequate appreciation of load
 previous studies: common failure causes
• concrete
– material quality (concrete mix, impurities, cement type,...)
– work execution (vibration, placement of rebars, removal of formwork,…)
– structural design and detailing (joints, openings, supports,…)
• steel
– insufficient temporary bracing during construction
– errors in design / construction mainly of connections and details
– deficient welding
– excessive flexibility and nonredundant design
– Vibration induced failures
– stability type failures
– fatigue and brittle failure
– corrosion damage
• timber
– inadequate behaviour of joints
– effects of moisture exposure (imposed strains, shrinkage)
– poor durability performance
– inadequate bracing of structural system
– inadequate performance of material and products
– inadequate appreciation of load
survey of failure cases

• survey
– literature (L)
– own investigations (I)

• partners number of cases

– Limträteknik AB, Falun (I) 12
– LTH (L) 67
– SP (I) 18
– VTT (I,L) 30
 total of 127 cases
 categories of failure causes
1. Wood material performance
2. manufacturing errors in factory
3. poor manufacturing principles
4. on-site alterations
5. poor principles during erection
6. poor design / lack of design with respect to mechanical
loading
7. poor design / lack of design with respect to
environmental actions
8. overload in relation to building regulations
9. other / unknown reasons
failure cause – one or more categories
(multiple failure causes)
failure cause (127 cases)
failure cause (127 cases)
failure causes for different parts of the case study

other / unknown reasons

all LTH
overload VTT SP
Limträteknik

poor principles during erection

on-site alterations

design, environmental actions

design, mechanical loading

poor manufacturing principles

manufacturing errors in factory

wood material performance

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0
% of failures
 failure causes for different countries
other / unknown reasons

overload

poor principles during erection

design, environmental actions

design, mechanical loading

on-site alterations cases from

complete study
USA
poor manufacturing principles Norway
Sweden
manufacturing errors in factory Finland
Germany
wood material performance % of failure cases

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

 type of buildings
in percentage of cases
public 51
industrial 23
agricultural 7
apartment 8
other / unknown 11

– better investigation / media coverage on failures in

public buildings compared to private buildings
– focus on large-span structures (mostly public or
industrial)
 span
100

90
16% < 10 m
80

70
84% > 10 m
60
span[m]

50

40

30 25 m
20

10

0
 age at failure

0 1 2 3 4 5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40

years
 type of structural elements that failed

in percentage of cases
beam 47
truss 34
bracing 29 dowel-type 57
punched metal plate 10
joint 23 glued 7
arch 8 other 27

column 4
frame 2
correlated with typical structural elements?!
 failure modes
in decending order of importance…
in percentage of cases
• instability 30
• bending failure 15
• tension failure perp. to grain 11
• shear failure 9
• drying cracks 9
• excessive deflection 7
• tension failure 5
• corrosion of fasteners / decay 4
• withdrawal of fasteners 3
• compression (buckling) 2
• other / unknown 21
timber, steel and concrete buildings:
failure causes
Failure cause Timber Steel [2] Concrete [3]
[in % of cases] [own survey]

Design 53 35 40
Building process 27 25 40
Maintenance / reuse 35

material 11
other 9 5 20

difficult to compare – definition of categories, number of cases etc.

 Question: Are engineers better at designing
steel- and concrete structures !?
How can we learn from previous failures?
53 % design errors
human errors
27 % building site errors

Errors of knowledge Errors of performance Errors of intent

(inadequate training in (non-professional (consciously taking
performance,
relation to tasks) carelessness) short-cuts and risk to
save time/money)

improved more efficient more efficient

training and Quality Quality Assurance
education Assurance (QA) (QA) ?
 Training & education
• should focus on technical aspects which are typical
causes for failure

• training of engineers and control in the design phase

most important (as most errors are made in this phase)

• training & education measurements

– lectures on good and bad examples for students / engineers
– database on good / bad examples
– …
 learning from each others mistakes
 Training & education:
examples for issues to be emphasized
• bracing to avoid instability both in the finished structure and during
construction
– planning of the erection sequences to minimize risks
– giving clear instructions to the construction workers on how to provide
temporary bracing
– more careful work preparation needed on building site
– practical guidelines showing how to design for sufficient bracing
– relevant requirements for load-bearing capacity and stiffness of structures
used for bracing should be included in codes

• situations with risk for perpendicular to grain tensile failure

(joints, double-tapered beams, curved beams,…)
– improve knowledge about consequences of strength anisotropy and
shrinkage properties
– include control of risk for perpendicular to grain failure in design control
procedures, at least for large-scale timber structures (perhaps in
combination with moisture effects)
 Training & education:
examples for issues to be emphasized
• consideration of moisture effects
– special controls/checks to evaluate the effects of unavoidable
moisture movements in the structure, especially in sections where
moisture movement is restrained
– moisture effects should have high priority as an issue in
• education of timber engineering
• design of control systems
 Training & education:
examples for issues to be emphasized
• design of joints
– problems in dowel-type joints
• stress transfer very complex
• wood anisotropy
• risk of stresses perpendicular to grain
• excentricities may lead to higher stresses than global structural analysis
• dowels may reduce timber cross section significantly
– checklist
• stresses perpendicular
• excentricities
• net area (minus holes, slots)
• stress transfer in dowel-type fasteners
• angle between force and fiberdirection,…
– careful and controlled execution in manufacturing and construction necessary
– design of timber joints should be of priority in
• timber engineering research
• education
• Quality Assurance procedures
 Training & education:
examples for issues to be emphasized
when
• appreciation of loading conditions designing all
• appreciation of real behaviour of the structure materials

• increasing the competence of building site professionals

– professional training
– assigned training / certified personnel to perform certain tasks
– continuous courses and seminars
– external quality control by impartial and certified personnel
 Literature / references
[1] Kaminetzky, D.: Design and Construction failures - lessons from forensic
investigations, McGraw-Hill, 1991
[2] Peter Oehme & Werner Vogt: Schäden an Tragwerken aus Stahl,
Schadenfreies Bauen Band 30, Hrsg. G. Zimmermann & R. Runau,
Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, 2003
[3] Bernhard Brand & Gerhard Glatz: Schäden an Tragwerken aus
Stahlbeton, 2. erweiterte Auflage, Schadenfreies Bauen Band 14, Hrsg. G.
Zimmermann & R. Runau, Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, 2005
[4] Feld & Carper: Construction Failure, Wiley, 1997

Pict. • Hans-Jörgen Larsen

• Timber Engineering, STEP 2, 1995
• G. Dröge & T. Dröge: Schäden an Holztragwerken, Schadenfreies
Bauen Band 28, Hrsg. G. Zimmermann, Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, 2003
• ”Der Spiegel” www.spiegel.de