Hysteretic performance of angle steel connections in a timber-concrete composite system

Abstract

Timber–concrete composite systems are widely used in Europe, North America, and Australasia, primarily due to their good mechanical performance in terms of statics, dynamics, and seismic response. In addition, the concrete slab provides excellent protection to the timber, making such systems suitable for outdoor application. The seismic performance of timber–concrete composites is normally governed by their ductility and energy dissipation capacity. However, few design codes address the ductility and energy dissipation capacity of timber–concrete composite systems, owing to a lack of reliable performance data. Therefore, further research on the hysteretic performance of timber–concrete composite systems is necessary. In this study, six timber–concrete composite specimens with an angle steel connection of the same size were investigated using reversed cyclic tests. The corresponding failure modes were observed, and the salient features of the connection, i.e., the stiffness, ductility, and energy dissipation, were computed from the test results. The force mechanism of the timber–concrete composite specimens under reversed cyclic load was analyzed. Equations were presented to calculate the yield force and negative force in the same load step. A comparison of the test results and the theoretical results indicated good agreement.