These failures are typical block shear failures. Timber failed in combination of shear and tension in these connections. Might not be the main reason but certainly something to look at.
Splitting of the chord is a possibility, but I don't see it at this node. This node has light forces other than axial compression. That's why there are just a few dowels in the chord. Axial compression is taken by the chord which is continous. Diagonal on the other hand is loaded heavily in...
Bolts are close together to reduce splitting of timber. If bolts are spread out, steel plates hold bolts rigidly and when timber shrinks or swells it causes cracks. Also you reduce rotational stiffness with bolts together.
This makes me think.. with so much steel elements and rigid plates, is...
I went to research a bit about Perkolo bridge collapse. It was due to design error, where they misread joint design force. Basically they designed one part of a joint for half the force they should. Scary.
[link]https://www.slideshare.net/AdityaSanyal3/large-span-structuresnew]Starts at around...
This is bad for development of timber bridges. There is already a lot of scepticism. I work with timber a lot but I'm also nervous about rot when it comes to outdoor structures. Will be interesting to see the results of investigation.
There are really stiff connections in wood. But you need bigger sections of members and appropriate connectors like long screws with full thread or glued in rods.
You can make moderately stiff connections with bolts and steel plates but you also need bigger sections as normally and you need to...
What if such a wall has two perpendicular walls? If you connect horizontal plates to perp. walls, studs are basically prevented from buckling out of plane. I don't like it but in some cases I allow contractors to build walls on top of walls. If walls are braced at reasonable spacing.
I was working in a small office with 5 engineers. It was very educating, I learned a lot. But it was also suffocating, constant pressure, working long hours and on weekends. I quit after 4 years and left proffesion for 2 years. I wanted to try again and started on my own. No way I was ever again...
Why don't you do a FEM analysis of the floor and see how it behaves under in plane loads? It is same question with CLT floors or any other rigid prefab elements construction. You need to tie them together.
Option with steel elements.
Can be done without steel, just self tapping screws with whole thread. Screws at an angle from both sides of the joint, CLT cut with small step joint for easier assembly.
