Glued-in rod connections for timber offer improved strength, stiffness, aesthetics and fire performance compared to bolts and dowels. Extensive investigations have been done into the pull-out capacity of rods under pure axial load,however the capacity and stiffness of laterally loaded rods, particularly when combined with axial loading, is underresearched, with further investigation being crucial as nearly all connections are subject to this combination. The provision of an unbonded length has been shown to increase pull-out capacity, but its effect on laterally loaded rods has not been investigated. Investigations also often use softwoods over hardwoods. As a result, design codes lack informed guidance for laterally loaded rods and underestimate the capacity of rods in hardwood. In this study, 15 Beech LVL specimens with steel rods glued in with epoxy adhesive were subjected to varying ratios of axial to lateral load, to study the combined effects. The introduction of lateral load had no effect on axial capacity with a governing failure mode of rod yielding. The lateral capacity exceeded the design code prediction by 92%, and alternative parameters and equations were presented and discussed for more accurate estimation.
