Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Load-Carrying Capacity of a Timber Semi-Rigid Dowel-Type Connection

The paper deals with the analysis of the load-carrying capacity of a timber semi-rigid connection created from a system of two stands and a rung. The connection was made from glued laminated timber with metal mechanical dowel-type fasteners. Not only a common combination of bolts and dowels, but also fully threaded screws were used for the connection. The aim of the research and its motivation was to replace these commonly used fasteners with more modern ones, to shorten and simplify the assembly time, and to improve the load-carrying capacity of this type of connection. Each of these two types of connections was loaded statically, with a slow increase in force until failure. The paper presents results of the experimental testing. Three specimens were made and tested for each type of the connection. Experimental results were subsequently compared with numerical models. The achieved results were also compared with the assumption according to the currently valid standard. The results indicate that a connection using fully threaded screws provides a better load-carrying capacity.