Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Rhode Island is experiencing sea level rise, and more flooding and erosion during storm events due to climate change. The Rhode Island construction industry wants to adopt mass timber, but have concerns with the changing coastal environment on cross-laminated timber (CLT) wall and slab panels. This research aims to understand how coastal conditions affect CLT under different protection conditions, panel orientations, and structure type, by collecting moisture and temperature data on two structures, one commercially-fabricated and one laboratory-fabricated, located on Shell Path from early-July to early-April. Results found that all layers of horizontally-oriented panels benefitted from an additional protective weather-resistant-barrier (WRB) to decrease moisture intrusion from short-term ponding. The vertically-oriented panels’ shallow layer benefitted from applying a WRB, while the deep layer retained more moisture as the barrier impeded diffusion back to equilibrium. Generally, horizontal panels exhibited higher moisture content than vertical panels that were assisted with gravity-aided drainage.
Recommended Citation
Raley, Mia, "Moisture Performance of Coated Cross-Laminated Timber under Coastal Conditions in Vertical and Horizontal Orientations with and without Weather and Vapor Resistive Barriers" (2026). Engineering Theses. 6.
https://docs.rwu.edu/engineering_theses/6
Comments
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Thesis adviser: Dr. Shaghayegh Kurzinski