The recent development of new timber based engineered materials, more and more efficient from the mechanical point of view, allows the application of heavy timber framed structures, as seismic resistant systems. Multistory multispan framed structures, both moment resisting and braced, are well consolidated in steel constructions, they offering excellent seismic performances. Although steel and timber materials are different, the structural systems are assemblages of members connected through joints. Therefore it is possible to apply the same seismic design approach, by transferring the knowhow from steel to timber structures, adapting the design rules to the peculiarities of timber. In particular dissipation of seismic input energy should be devoted to specific devices, safeguarding the structural joints, and the seismic design parameters are to be calibrated.

In this context, the paper deals with the use of steel links for the development of seismic resistant dissipative heavy timber frames, where steel links have the dissipative function through plastic deformation, while timber members and steel connections remain in the elastic field, thanks to the application of capacity design.

Specifically, a parametrical numerical study on 2D single-storey timber structures equipped with steel links is presented. Different structural configurations are examined: Moment Resisting Frames, with links at the beam ends and at the columns base, Concentric Braced Frames, with links at the diagonal ends, Eccentric Braced Frames, with links at the beam midspan. Structures are designed through linear dynamic analyses, considering several plan layouts with different number of spans and different value of the seismic acceleration. Therefore, non-linear static analyses, using the structural calculation program SAP2000, are performed with the aim of evaluating the global seismic behaviour, determining the collapse hierarchy and calculating the behaviour factor. The study proves the suitability and the efficiency of the proposed structural conception and design procedure.