2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Physical and Digital Models for Timber Design and Analysis Courses

Presented at Committee on Effective Teaching Presents: Models, Models, & More Models

Among structural engineering education research, there is a limited number of studies which implement physical or three-dimensional digital models to support instruction in an introductory timber design course. As the curriculum transitions from the design of isolated members to an entire structure, it is critical to provide interactive learning tools to assist students in gaining proficiency in visualizing material behavior, vertical and lateral load paths, and construction sequence. Timber design courses within the Architectural Engineering department at [redacted], being on the West Coast of the United States, place an emphasis on seismic and wind design. Therefore, the proposed learning tools are intended to pair with an introduction to the American Wood Council’s National Design Specifications (NDS) and Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS).

Two graduate students at this predominantly undergraduate university developed physical and digital models to strengthen student's conceptual understanding of mechanical connections, gravity and lateral load flow, and directional properties of wood. These included:
- Kit consisting of manufactured lumber (I-joists and laminated-veneer lumber) and hardware samples (shear wall hold-down and joist hanger) sourced from various suppliers to expose students to commercial products available for timber design,
- Laterally braced column model that examines the effects of column section dimensions relative to the unbraced length on buckling load,
- Diaphragm model that demonstrates the variations of sheathing layouts, per SDPWS Section 4.2.8, and allows students to investigate the appropriate application of layouts under various loading conditions,
- Digital library of three-dimensional (3-D) components for students to rapidly assemble gravity and lateral systems they have designed to be able to investigate their load flow and constructability in both 2-D and 3-D views.

This paper provides details on physical and digital model fabrication along with an instructor guide for incorporating the learning tools into the curriculum. This paper also describes other new course material including a homework packet based on a two-story residential project completed by the instructor co-authors firm as well as a handout that guides students through the analysis of members under bi-axial loading. Results from class surveys are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of these models and other updated teaching materials on the intended educational outcomes including improving student knowledge of material properties, behavior of structural members, load flow and connections, along with context in real-world structural engineering projects.

Authors

Paulina Robles California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [biography]

Paulina Robles is a graduate architectural engineering student at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. During her undergraduate studies at Cal Poly, she was involved in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition team, and the Mbesese Initiative for Sustainable Development, which works to design a polytechnic trade college in Same, Tanzania. She hopes to utilize her education to pursue work focusing on seismic design, disaster relief and the promotion of diversity in the field of structural engineering.
Gabrielle Rose Favro California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [biography]

Gabrielle Favro is a graduate architectural engineering student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She has been involved with the structural engineering community throughout her undergraduate experience in many ways, such as a 4-year membership of the Cal Poly student chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) and participation in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Undergraduate Seismic Competition as a Construction Team leader. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in structural engineering, practicing in the United States, focusing on seismic design and sustainability.
Dr. Anahid Behrouzi California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [biography]

Anahid Behrouzi is an associate professor of architectural engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. She has been involved with STEM education beginning in 2003 as a volunteer and summer instructor with the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science. She has been engaged with undergraduate/graduate course delivery in the topic areas of engineering problem-solving as well as structural design and analysis at North Carolina State University (2008-2011), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2012-2015), Tufts University (2015-2016), and Cal Poly - SLO (2016-present). She has a BS in civil engineering and BA in Spanish language and literature from North Carolina State University, and a MS/PhD in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Abby Lentz [biography]

Abby Lentz, P.E. is a project engineer at Studio Prime Engineering with six years of industry experience. She specializes in timber construction and enjoys the never-ending problem solving of the engineering profession. In addition to her full-time engineering responsibilities, she is a part time lecturer at Cal Poly teaching Timber Design in the Architectural Engineering Department.

While in school, she graduated in the top ten percent of her class from the Architectural Engineering program at Cal Poly, Abby Lentz worked as an intern at her current place of employment while simultaneously earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In school, her senior project in building restoration, master’s research in earthquake resiliency, and seismic retrofit work on a school in Nepal with Structural Engineering Students for Humanity added to her passion for engineering.

Miss Lentz believes in structural artistry, that as an engineer her innovative designs add beauty to the built environment and maintain structural fidelity to form and function. Miss Lentz values the integrated design build process and enthusiastically works with the team to achieve balance between complexity of design and simplicity of construction. She strives to produce quality engineering solutions that are cost effective, easy to build, and aesthetically pleasing. For Abby, helping to make dreams a reality is a rewarding part of the engineering service.

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