Traditional Chinese Wood Structure Joints with an Experiment Considering Regional Differences

Abstract

Chinese ancient timber structures are famous worldwide. They are connected with unique joints known as mortise and tenon. Since few studies have addressed the structure of these joints, preserving these structures is difficult. Recent studies based on one kind of joint—the wedged reported its semi-rigid property; however, many more different joints remain to be studied. The present study is based on experiments of 26 wood pieces, five different wood joints, and 13 different crafts. These different joints were widely used in many regions of China. Some data of joints under vertical and horizontal loadings have been recorded. A model based on experimental data was built and can be widely applied in other studies. Three traditional Chinese wood structures were compared and analyzed with experimental data. The reasons and differences of these structures were concluded. Taking all these findings into consideration, the present study aims to be an important help to the protection of current Chinese wood heritages.