Cyclic behavior of glued-in joints under bending moments

A growing interest has arisen towards the possibility of joining wood elements with steel bars glued with epoxy resin into timber members. This type of joint is interesting, because it allows to obtain an higher joint stiffness, a more uniform stress distribution and a better aesthetical appearance in comparison with traditional mechanical connections. A series of experimental tests on glued-in threaded rod joints subjected to bending moments showed that with a correct design and a proper choice of the bar steel grade it is possible to obtain a very ductile behaviour. In the present paper the interest is focused on the cyclic behaviour of glued-in-joints under bending moments and some experimental investigations on joints subjected to cyclic loads are presented. The aim is the understanding of the joint structural response under cyclic loads simulating seismic action. The results outline that the joint can develop high ductility, even though it is partially limited by lateral instability due to torsional effects.