Designing Mass Timber Construction for Blast Loading
August 12, 2025; 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Pacific Time
Mark Weaver, S.E.
There has been a notable expansion of the use of mass timber construction in North America in recent years. Sustainability and aesthetics are key drivers for mass timber construction, and the robustness of panelized products like cross-laminated timber (CLT) opens new possibilities in protective construction. To better understand mass timber’s performance under blast loading, a series of blast tests involving various types of mass timber have been performed. This presentation describes the current state of the science related to designing mass timber construction for blast loading. Tests on cross-laminated timber (CLT), mass ply panel (MPP), glued laminated timber (glulam), and reinforced CLT (RCLT) test articles performed to date (or are in the planning stages) are described. Based on the test data, conclusions are drawn, strategies for safely detailing mass timber structures are discussed, and potential changes to guidelines (e.g., PDC-TR 18-02) are proposed. The presentation concludes with defining areas that would benefit from further empirical investigation. Audience Learning Objectives:
- To understand the extent of the blast testing performed on mass timber components to this point (i.e., load magnitude and duration; specimen types, wood grades, and geometric properties; level of damage exhibited).
- To understand how mass timber components are predisposed to fail under blast loading conditions.
- To learn strategies for safely designing and detailing mass timber connections exposed to blast loading.
Speaker Bio
Mark Weaver, S.E., is a Principal at K&C with over fifteen years of structural design engineering experience that has largely focused on designing infrastructure to mitigate the effects of blast, impact, and shock loads. He leads many of K&C’s applied research and testing programs involving hardened structures as well as design efforts aimed at developing innovative structural solutions capable of protecting people and critical infrastructure in the event of malicious man-made and accidental explosion threats. Mark is also actively engaged with professional organizations and committees devoted to advancing the state of the art in protective construction. He is currently the chair of the ACI 370 “Blast and Impact Load Effects” committee and vice chair of the ASCE “Blast Protection of Buildings Standards” committee.
Mark Weaver, S.E., is a Principal at K&C with over fifteen years of structural design engineering experience that has largely focused on designing infrastructure to mitigate the effects of blast, impact, and shock loads. He leads many of K&C’s applied research and testing programs involving hardened structures as well as design efforts aimed at developing innovative structural solutions capable of protecting people and critical infrastructure in the event of malicious man-made and accidental explosion threats. Mark is also actively engaged with professional organizations and committees devoted to advancing the state of the art in protective construction. He is currently the chair of the ACI 370 “Blast and Impact Load Effects” committee and vice chair of the ASCE “Blast Protection of Buildings Standards” committee.