Straw bales have been used for building for about 140 years. Until recently bales were only used for load-bearing Nebraskan-style buildings or for infill on timber-framed buildings. ModCell panels are a prefabricated straw bale panel consisting of a timber frame, straw bale infill and lime rendered faces. ModCell panels have been used for cladding on several framed buildings and are now being developed to be load-bearing. In order to allow this sufficient racking shear resistance needs to be developed. This paper reports on a series of joint tests and full-scale panel racking shear tests at the University of Bath. Refinements to the joint and bracing details have improved the racking shear resistance of the panels.
Authors:
- Gross, Christopher
- Fovargue, Jonathan
- Homer, Peter
- Mander, Tim
- Walker, Peter
- White, Craig
Link: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-03454-1_16