The LVL-concrete composite (LCC) structure is a hybrid in system which the LVL member is well connected to the concrete slab by a connector to produce composite action. Various types of connector with different stiffness and shear capacity are available in the market currently. The stiffness of the connector is identified through the push-out experiment. The notch connections for LVL concrete composite beams have higher stiffness and strength compared to mechanical fasteners. This paper discusses the experimental results of symmetrical push-out tests on 3 different types of connector, 150mm rectangular notch with 10mm diameter screw, 100mm rectangular notch with 8mm diameter screw and 100mm triangular notch with 8mm diameter screw. The experimental test was shear push out to failure and the type of failure was discussed. The 150mm rectangular notch was found to be strongest among all and low cost. The 100mm rectangular notch was found to be slightly stiffer than 100mm triangular notch but 100mm triangular notch is easier to construct with only 2 cut. The maximum strength and stiffness at ultimate limit states and serviceability limit states of each type of connection were discussed in this paper.
The wood engineering community has dedicated a significant amount of effort over the last decades to establish a reliable predictive model for the load-carrying capacity of timber connections under wood failure mechanisms. Test results from various sources (Foschi and Longworth 1975; Johnsson 2003; Quenneville and Mohammad 2000; Stahl et al. 2004; Zarnani and Quenneville 2012a) demonstrate that for multi-fastener connections, failure of wood can be the dominant mode.
In existing wood strength prediction models for parallel to grain failure in timber connections using dowel-type fasteners, different methods consider the minimum, maximum or the summation of the tensile and shear capacities of the failed wood block planes. This results in disagreements between the experimental values and the predictions. It is postulated that these methods are not appropriate since the stiffness in the wood blocks adjacent to the tensile and shear planes differs and this leads to uneven load distribution amongst the resisting planes (Johnsson 2004; Zarnani and Quenneville 2012a).
The present study focuses on the nailed connections. A closed-form analytical method to determine the load-carrying capacity of wood under parallel-to-grain loading in small dowel-type connections in timber products is thus proposed. The proposed stiffness-based model has already been verified in brittle and mixed failure modes of timber rivet connections (Zarnani and Quenneville 2013b).
According to Eurocode 8 moderate to high dissipative behaviour of timber structures requires sufficient ductility of the critical regions. Earlier experiments on timber connections with slotted-in steel plates and laterally loaded common steel dowels rarely achieved high ductility values. Connections consisting of LVL-C members, dowel-type fasteners with different post-elastic steel properties, full confinement of the timber member and measures to restrain the notch effect were investigated by means of monotonic and cyclic tests with regards to the displacement ductility. The measures taken proved to be effective in enhancing the plastic deformation capacity of the steel dowels to a large extent. However, a new aspect was observed: the constriction of the dowels in the contact area with the plate. The research results provided a better understanding of the factors influencing the behaviour of slotted-in steel plate connection.
In this study, the bending performance of a separable cross-laminated timber (CLT)–concrete composite slab for reducing environmental impact was investigated. The slab has consisted of CLT and eco–concrete, and round-notch shape shear connectors resist the shear force between the CLT and eco-concrete. The eco–concrete was composed of a high-sulfated calcium silicate (HSCS) cement, which ensures low energy consumption in the production process. The bending stiffness and load-carrying capacities of the slab were theoretically predicted based on the shear properties of the notch connectors and validated with an experimental test. The shear properties of two types of notch shear connectors (Ø100 mm and Ø200 mm) were measured by planar shear tests. As a result, the stochastically predicted bending stiffness of the slab (with Ø100 mm shear connector) was 0.364 × 1012 N mm2, which was almost similar to test data. The load-carrying capacities of the slab were governed by the shear failure of the notch connectors, and the lower fifth percentile point estimate (5% PE) was 21.9 kN, which was 7.9% higher than the prediction (20.2 kN). In a parameter study, the effect of notch diameter for the CLT-concrete slab span was analyzed depending on the applied loads, and the maximum spans of the slab with Ø100 mm notch or Ø200 mm notch were not significantly different.
In this thesis the reliability of the design of unreinforced notched beams is evaluated and recommendations for the design of reinforced notched beams are given. The review of design approaches for reinforced notched beams shows, that so far the reinforcement is designed only with regard to the perpendicular to grain force acting in the notch corner. The evaluation of test results from literature shows that a stiff reinforcement has the best reinforcing effect but initial cracking cannot be prevented. The failure behaviour of the reinforced notch is studied in more detail by means of experiments and a FE model. Initial cracking of the reinforced notch comes along with crack opening, whereas ultimate failure with excessive crack growth is accompanied by shearing of the crack. An analytical model is presented for the description of the structural behaviour of reinforced notched beams. The parallel and perpendicular to the grain stiffness of the reinforcement is accounted for in the model. A high stiffness of the reinforcement parallel to the grain is required in order to reduce the mode 1 loading of the notch corner and to prevent initial cracking. The mode 2 loading of the crack increases with increasing crack length. In order to achieve higher load-carrying capacities for notched beams with longer cracks, reinforcement with high stiffness parallel to the grain is required. Recommendations are given for the required reinforcement of notched beams in order to restore the shear capacity of the reduced cross-section.
