Alexander Salenikovich and Kiavash Gholamizoj at WCTE 2025: Innovation at the Heart of Timber Construction!
Alexander Salenikovich and Kiavash Gholamizoj took part in the prestigious World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2025), held from June 22 to 26 in Brisbane, Australia. Bringing together 940 participants from 44 countries—including 68 from Canada—this major international event is the leading scientific forum for presenting and discussing advancements in research, education, and practice in timber engineering and construction. Since 1984, the WCTE has been held every two years in different regions around the world. Notably, Alexander Salenikovich played a key role as Chair of the Scientific Program during the 2014 edition in Québec City. The next conference will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, in August 2027.
At this year’s event, Alexander Salenikovich played a prominent role as a member of the scientific committee, actively contributing to the quality and smooth running of the conference. He also stood out on site with a strong presence: he chaired four sessions, presented two papers based on his research, and co-authored four additional presentations. Through the breadth and depth of his contributions, he significantly advanced knowledge dissemination and elevated the international visibility of timber engineering. His outstanding involvement reflects both his scientific leadership and his commitment to the community.
His first presentation, titled « Development of Safe Design Procedures for Products, Assemblies, and Systems in Wood Construction », showcased a five-year research program funded by the province of Québec. The project aims to develop safe design procedures for wood construction products and systems, including new solutions for connections, wood-steel frames, and innovative seismic design guidelines.His second presentation, « Brittle Failure of CLT Connections with Inclined Self-Tapping Screws, » explored brittle failure modes in cross-laminated timber (CLT) connections using inclined self-tapping screws. The study uncovered complex failure mechanisms and proposed recommendations to improve Canadian design standards—ultimately enhancing the safety and performance of mass timber construction. These innovative and rigorous works clearly demonstrate Alexander Salenikovich’s scientific impact and his contribution to innovation in the field of timber engineering.
Furthermore, Kiavash Gholamizoj presented his research entitled « Experimental tests on connections with dowels and slotted-in steel plates under cyclic loading»  as part of the Engineering (5D) session on June 24, 2025. His presentation was warmly received, sparking strong interest and leading to enriching exchanges with participants. His project aims to optimize ductile connections in mass timber bracing frames, which are essential for energy dissipation during earthquakes. He is conducting experimental tests to evaluate their stiffness, strength, ductility, and failure modes, with particular attention to dowel spacing and edge distances.
In addition to his presentation, Kiavash attended several sessions on seismic design, hybrid systems, innovative connections, as well as the development of standards and the sustainability of timber constructions. These sessions allowed him to discover new experimental and modeling approaches, deepen his understanding of international codes, and strengthen his ties with researchers from renowned universities such as McGill, Waterloo, and the University of Alberta. Building on the feedback and collaborations gained, Kiavash plans to incorporate the comments received into his ongoing doctoral thesis, to continue engaging with researchers from top institutions such as the University of Alberta, McGill, and Waterloo, and to enrich his scientific publications with the latest advancements presented at the conference.
Kiavash wishes to express his sincere gratitude to his supervisor, Professor Alexander Salenikovich, as well as to the financial and administrative partners who made this participation possible: the NSERC Alliance grant Next-Generation Wood Construction, the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts du Québec (MRNF), and the Renewable Materials Research Centre (CRMR), through its mobility program (CA$1,000). This experience represents a major milestone in the advancement of his research and professional development.
Congratulations to Kiavash and Alexander for their brilliant participation and outstanding contributions in the field of timber engineering!
To learn more about WCTE 2025, check out this video!
EXPERIMENTAL TESTS ON CONNECTIONS WITH DOWELS AND SLOTTED-IN STEEL PLATES UNDER CYCLIC LOADING – Presented by Kiavash Gholamizoj
Kiavash Gholamizoj, Alexander Salenikovich, Ying Hei Chui , David Hanna
Modern mass timber braced frames rely on ductile connections to dissipate energy effectively. However, brittle failure modes in dowel-type connections may occur before the fasteners yield, limiting ductility and energy dissipation capacity. This study addresses these challenges by conducting experimental cyclic tests on dowel connections with slotted-in steel plates. Connections were designed per CSA O86Â and tested to evaluate stiffness, resistance, ductility, energy dissipation, and failure modes, as well as to compare the two design approaches. The tested connections form part of glulam brace elements in multi-storey timber braced frames. Each joint includes 12.7 mm (1/2-in.) dowels in various configurations at one end, while the opposite end, features steel side plates with inclined self-tapping screws, overdesigned to allow for reuse across tests. A total of 32 tests were conducted across four series using 12 dowels in various spacings. Each series included two static tests and six one-directional cyclic tests in axial tension. The static tests are used to determine the cyclic displacement protocols based on ISO 16670. Performance parameters, derived from load-slip graphs, highlight the effects of fastener spacing and end distance on resistance and failure modes. Experimental results are compared with predictions from CSA O86, providing insights for designing reliable connections that meet the high force demands of mass timber braced frames.
DEVELOPMENT OF SAFE DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR PRODUCTS, ASSEMBLIES, AND SYSTEMS IN WOOD CONSTRUCTION-Â Presented by Alexander Salenikovich and Matiyas Bezabeh
A. Salenikovich , M.A. Bezabeh , C.A. Rogers , C. Dagenais
The Canadian government and its provinces are implementing climate strategies and regulations to decarbonize the building construction sector through nature-based solutions, such as using sustainable and renewable construction materials. Measures include promoting wood education and research, “Wood First » provincial policies, modernizing sustainable forest management, and strengthening the timber supply chain. In line with these efforts, in 2023, the Québec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests funded the authors of this paper to develop safe design procedures for products and systems in wood construction. The research program will be executed over five years at Université Laval and McGill University in collaboration with twelve industry partners through a series of planned research tasks. The tasks encompass developing 1) novel connection systems for mass timber buildings, 2) new timber-steel braced frames, 3) low-damage rocking timber frame braced systems, and 4) seismic and wind design guidelines for the new systems through numerous experimental campaigns and extensive numerical studies. This paper provides an overview of the project, its status, and upcoming tasks.
BRITTLE FAILURE OF CLT CONNECTIONS WITH INCLINED SELF-TAPPING SCREWS-Â Presented by Alexander Salenikovich
Amir Einipour, Alexander Salenikovich, Jianhui Zhou, Thomas Tannert
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is increasingly being used in construction, but its brittle nature when loaded in tension or shear parallel to grain poses design challenges since the crosswise layup makes CLT behave differently from solid timber or glulam. Self-tapping screws (STS) are versatile fasteners in timber construction, acting in shear when installed perpendicular to the connection interface or in withdrawal when inclined. The 2024 edition of the Canadian Standard for Engineering Design in Wood (CSA O86) includes design provisions for STS, but guidance on estimating brittle failures of STS connections in CLT remains limited. In this paper, experimental investigations assessing the performance of CLT connections with inclined STS and steel side plates using multiple configurations, considering CLT layup, screw penetration length, and screw edge distance, are presented. The observed brittle failure modes across different test series were more complex than those outlined in CSA O86, including occurrences of rolling shear and layer separation alongside the predominant plug shear. Using screws of the same length in CLT with different layups affected the load-carrying capacity due to changes in the failure plane. Connections near the panel edge showed lower capacity than those in the centre, highlighting the impact of edge distance on brittle failure. Based on these findings, changes to the CSA O86 design provisions will be proposed.
BRITTLE FAILURE MODES IN CONNECTIONS WITH SELF-TAPPING SCREWS IN GLULAM AND CLT-Â Presented by Ying Hei Chui
Jan Niederwestberg, Chun Ni, Ying Hei Chui, Alexander Salenikovich
Self-tapping screws (STS) have become the fastener of choice for mass timber construction. They are used either as laterally or axially loaded fasteners. In lateral loading, STS connections are generally designed using the European Yield Model, which considers embedment and fastener yielding. Brittle failure modes, influenced by geometric factors such as end and edge distances and fastener spacing, are checked separately. As part of developing STS design provisions for the Canadian timber design standard, thirty STS connection configurations in glulam timber and cross-laminated timber (CLT) were tested in order to determine their behaviour and failure modes. The results show that STS connections generally tend towards yield failures when recommended fastener arrangements are used. However, connections in CLT are prone to brittle failure modes if fastener spacings arrangements are unfavourable.
STIFFNESS OF TIMBER CONNECTIONS WITH DOWEL-TYPE FASTENERS UNDER LATERAL LOAD-Â Presented by Ying Hei Chui
Tao Gui, Ying Hei Chui, Alexander Salenikovich
When designing structural timber systems, serviceability limit states (SLS) can govern the final design solutions. Deformations in mechanical timber connections play a key role in controlling common SLS, such as vibration and deflection, which are dependent on the stiffness of the connections. It is also required for ultimate limit states (ULS) design. For instance, in statically indeterminate structures where the applied design load is resisted simultaneously by more than one component, and the load distribution is governed by stiffness properties of these components. Therefore, accurate models predicting the deformation or stiffness of timber connections are required for design purposes. Early timber connection models were largely based on the theory of beam on elastic foundation (Winkler foundation). Winkler foundation model works reasonably well for strength prediction but not stiffness. This is because the Winkler theory tends to lead to an over-estimation of the deformation due to the assumption of decoupling of the foundation springs. An improved approach is necessary for connection stiffness prediction. This paper investigates the use of Multi-spring foundation and Half-space foundation theories to address the limitations of Winkler foundation model. Finite element models based on the three different foundation theories were developed and the predicted results are compared. Â It was found that the Multi-spring foundation and Half-space foundation theories provide more accurate predictions of connection stiffness for dowel-type fasteners compared to the Winkler foundation theory. However, further experimental studies are required to determine the specific application ranges of these models.
DEVELOPMENT AND SEISMIC DESIGN OF NOVEL HYBRID TIMBER-STEEL ECCENTRICALLY BRACED FRAMES –Presented by Matiyas Bezabeh
Abebaw A. Mekonnen, Mairvat Abdulhamid1, Matiyas A. Bezabeh1, Colin A. Rogers1, Alexander Salenikovich
Described in this paper is the development of a novel hybrid timber-steel eccentrically braced frame (TS-EBF), that has significant benefits in terms of seismic performance and sustainability. This new seismic-force-resisting system (SFRS) aims to combine the sustainability and lateral stiffness of timber-braced frames with the excellent energy dissipation capacity of steel links for enhanced seismic performance. The system uses structural steel for deformation-controlled elements (ductile shear links) and engineered wood products for force-controlled elements (beams, columns, and diagonal braces). A six-storey archetype building that uses this novel SFRS was designed using both force- and displacement-based seismic design approaches for the seismicity of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Numerical models were developed for ductile shear links in ABAQUS finite element software and validated with full-scale quasi-static cyclic tests. In addition, a two-dimensional fiber-based numerical model of the prototype six-storey building was developed in OpenSeesPy. Performance assessment was carried out using static pushover and nonlinear response history analyses using thirty-three hazard-consistent ground motion records. Overall, this study demonstrated the effectiveness of this new lateral system, indicating its potential as an alternative SFRS in Canada’s high-seismic risk regions.