Structural performance of timber frame joints Full scale tests and numerical validation

Abstract

The force resisting ability of a connection has direct implications on the overall response of a timber framed structure to various actions, thereby governing the integrity and safety of such constructions. The behavior of timber framed structures has been studied by many researchers by testing full-scale-connections in timber frames so as to establish consistent design provisions on the same. However, much emphasis in this approach has been unidirectional, that has focused on a particular connection configuration, with no research output stressing on the refinement of the existing connection details in order to optimize their performance. In this regard, addition of adhesive to dowelled timber connections is an economically effective technique that has a potential to improve their performance. Therefore, a comparative study to evaluate the performance of various full-scale timber frame Nailed connections (Bridled Tenon, Cross Halved, Dovetail Halved and Mortise Tenon) supplemented by adhesive with respect to Nailed-Only counterparts under tensile loading has been investigated in this paper. The load-deformation values measured have been used to calculate stiffness, load capacity and ductility in both the connection forms (with and without adhesion) which in turn have been compared to other configurations along with the observed failure modes. The observed load capacity of the tested models has also been compared to the design strengths predicted by National Design Specifications (NDS-2018) for timber construction. Additionally, the experimental behavior was validated by developing non-linear finite element models in ABAQUS. All the results showed incorporation of adhesive to be an efficient and an economical technique in significantly enhancing the performance of various timber nailed connections under tensile action. Thus, this research is novel in a sense that it not only explores the tensile behavior of different nailed joint configurations common in timber construction but also stresses on improvising the same in a logical manner hence making it distinctive in its approach.