Effects of dowels on the mechanical properties of wooden composite beams in ancient timber structures

Abstract

In order to provide more accurate suggestions for the restoration of ancient timber buildings, five types of specimens were designed for static loading tests. The tree species used for the specimens was larch. The wooden composite beams were composed of purlins, tie plates, and fangs. The study analyzed the effects of the number and position of dowels on the mechanical behaviors of wooden composite beams in ancient timber buildings. The bending moment, slippage, strain of the wooden composite beams under the deflection of the beam allowed according to code, and the ultimate bearing capacity of the wooden column composite beams under failure conditions were examined. The test results showed that the dowels could improve the bending capacity of the wooden composite beams. The even distribution of the dowels was beneficial in reducing the sliding effect of the wooden composite beams. Under the amount of deflection allowed by the code, the mid-span section strain along the height of the wooden composite beam approximately conformed to the plane section assumption. The wooden composite beam still had bending capacity after each member failed. The results of this study illustrated that dowels improved the overall mechanical properties of the wooden composite beams.