Experimental investigation on load bearing capacity of full scaled light timber framed wall for mid-rise buildings Farnaz Alinoori ⇑ , Pezhman Sharafi, Farzad Moshiri, Bijan Samali Centre for Infrastructure Engineering, School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia highlights  Enhancement of load-bearing capacity of timber plates under compression perpendicular to grain.  Study of different timber species as plates, and their effects on the load carrying capacity.  A comparison between the effects of different techniques applied to different timber species.  Selecting the best solutions providing maximum load bearing capacity and minimum shortening. article info Article history: Received 21 September 2018 Received in revised form 29 May 2019 Accepted 23 September 2019 Keywords: Compression perpendicular to the grain Light timber framing Mid-rise Full scale timber framed wall Bearing strength enhancement Timber reinforcement abstract Timber is an isotropic natural construction material with ductile and brittle behaviour in compression and tension, respectively. It is one of the most economical solutions for low-rise residential buildings, in many countries including Australia. Yet, its relatively lower load bearing capacity in compression per- pendicular to the grain, and some consequences such as long-term and short-term shortening have resulted in limited applications of light timber framed system in multi-story buildings. In order to take the most advantage of this efficient and light-weight building material specifically light, applying some timber framed reinforcement solutions and better use of materials can improve the performance of tim- ber framed structures. This study presents the results of a series of full scale experimental investigations on light timber framed walls under compression, whose results can be used for the design of mid-rise light timber framed buildings. First, with regard to the compression perpendicular to the grain, full scale walls connected through a stud-to-plate system and made of four different timber plate species (machine graded pine (MGP10), pine cypress, ash silver top, and cross laminated timber (CLT)) are tested. Then the effects of a reinforcement solution on enhancing the load bearing capacity is investigated. At the next stage, for studying the compression parallel to the grain, the performance of common stud-to-stud con- nections as well as a notched connecting system with machine graded pine (MGP10) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) studs is considered. A comparison between the load bearing capacity of the tested systems is made, and the results are used in a case study on the design of a multi-story timber framed building. The results indicate that the solutions suggested for improving the compression bearing capac- ity can be applied to mid-rise light timber frame buildings. Ó 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Introduction Timber is a sustainable natural material with some special properties, which is widely accepted as an eco-friendly and reusa- ble building material with low embodied energy [1]. Light timber framing is a quick, light weight, well-established, and cost effective multipurpose construction method with a variety of distinct advantages for prefabricated construction, compared to many other construction systems [2–5]. Timber framing has a long his- tory in Central Europe, Scandinavia, North America, East Asia and Australia, and is readily applied to small and medium scale con- struction as a proven, safe and effective construction method. Despite some interpretation differences, such widespread use has resulted in a rapid development in testing-based research projects on timber framing, for collecting data for progressively developing standard regulations [6,7]. In Australia, from 1994 to 2016, the Australian building regula- tions placed restrictions on the use of timber in multi-storey build- ings [8], while light timber framed structural systems had been https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117069 0950-0618/Ó 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: farnazalinoori@gmail.com (F. Alinoori). Construction and Building Materials 231 (2020) 117069 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Construction and Building Materials journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat