Timber rivet connections, originally developed for use with glulam construction, may be a viable option for use with structural composite lumber (SCL) products. Tests were conducted on small samples to assess the performance and predictability of timber rivet connections in parallel strand lumber (PSL) and laminated strand lumber (LSL). The test joint configurations were designed to exhibit ìrivet failuresîósome combination of rivet yield and bearing deformation in the compositeóas opposed to wood failure modes, such as block-shear tear-out or splitting.
Results suggest that per-rivet design values should fall between 1 and 2 kN, depending on species and density of the composite and load direction with respect to grain of the composite strands. Timber rivets performed better in LSL than in PSL and better in yellow poplar PSL than in Douglas-fir or Southern Pine PSL; 40-mm rivets in yellow poplar LSL gave roughly equivalent performance to 65-mm rivets in yellow poplar PSL.
