End-repair of timber beams with laterally-loaded glued-in rods: Experimental trials and failure prediction through modelling

Experimental trials were performed on spruce beams with one end cut and re-connected with glued-in rods to simulate repair interventions. Beams were tested in bending thus to laterally load rods, and documented by photogrammetry. Numerical analysis, adopting orthotropic constitutive laws in the context of the Continuum Damage Mechanics, was also performed. Results showed that short screws did not improve the load capacity but affected the failure mechanism. Numerical simulation correctly predicted the load-displacement curves, the damage maps, and the deflection behaviour. It was established that failure is related to a combination of perpendicular-to-grain tension, longitudinal shear and rolling shear.