Seismic behaviour of the traditional dieh-dou type timber roof frame when subjected to in-plane shaking

Dieh-Dou type timber frame is one of the major types of the traditional timber frames in Taiwan. The frame sustained severe damage in the Chi-Chi earthquake. To evaluate the seismic behaviour and failure mechanism of the roof frame, a series of shaking table tests were conducted. Under normal circumstances, the column-primary beam joints contribute to most of the horizontal resistance, however in this study, it was designed as pin, so as to allow the roof frame members to sustain most of the seismic force. The test results indicated that as the Dou-Guatong joint is relatively rigid, the Dou and Guatong complex rotated together like a short post. The roof masses started to slide under the 80% loading. When the sliding of roof masses was prevented, deformation of the frame was significantly increased, where two Dou members split during the course of severe shaking. The sliding of the roof masses could reduce the seismic force and prevent the frame from damages under larger seismic loading.