Abstract
This paper investigates the mechanical performance of longitudinally cracked glulam columns under eccentric compression loads. Experimental investigation was conducted to explore the influence of initial cracks on the failure modes and load bearing capacity of glulam columns. Two different crack patterns named DC and IC, and two column lengths (i.e. 600 and 1100 mm) were considered in the experiments. It was indicated that these two crack patterns reduced the capacity of slender glulam columns and the difference of failure modes was observed between glulam columns with and without initial cracks. Further, a numerical model was developed and validated by the test results. With the application of cohesive zone material model, the propagation of initial cracks could be considered in the numerical modeling. A parametric study was carried out by the verified model and the influence of crack lengths and crack locations was further investigated. From the numerical analysis, it was found that through cracks reduced the capacity of glulam columns significantly. Also, crack location impacts the capacity of glulam columns and the extent of impact relates to the slenderness ratio of the columns, while cracks with different lengths have similar influence on the capacity of columns.
Highlights
Timber structures are sensitive to the climate variations when exposed to outdoor environment, as wood is a hygroscopic material
International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering (2018) 10:111–119 bolted connections, experimental researches have been conducted to investigate the influence of initial cracks, and a theoretical method based on a quasi-non-linear fracture mechanics model has been proposed to predict the capacity of bolted connections with initial cracks (He et al 2017)
The numerical model was validated by the experimental results and the verified model was applied to conduct a parametric study on the influence of through cracks, which further quantified the influence of different crack lengths and crack locations
Summary
Timber structures are sensitive to the climate variations when exposed to outdoor environment, as wood is a hygroscopic material. Due to low perpendicular-to-grain tensile strength of wood, longitudinal cracks are frequently observed in timber elements (Frühwald et al 2007) It was proved by a previous field experiment, which indicated that when glulam elements were exposed to external climate conditions, moisture-induced stresses would exceed. International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering (2018) 10:111–119 bolted connections, experimental researches have been conducted to investigate the influence of initial cracks, and a theoretical method based on a quasi-non-linear fracture mechanics model has been proposed to predict the capacity of bolted connections with initial cracks (He et al 2017). Mean stress approach is a generalized linear elastic fracture mechanics model, which considers mean stresses acting across a certain area (Gustafsson 2002) It has been applied in the strength analysis of glulam beams with holes (Danielsson and Gustafsson 2011). The numerical model was validated by the experimental results and the verified model was applied to conduct a parametric study on the influence of through cracks, which further quantified the influence of different crack lengths and crack locations
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