Abstract
Complex, moment-resisting connections in timber construction are currently mostly designed and dimensioned as unique pieces. A standardized design, as it is done in steel construction through the “Typified Connections in Steel Buildings”, is only possible by in-house procedures and not by standards-technical regulations. The aim of this research project is therefore to simplify and systematise the design of complex connection geometries in timber construction and thus to increase the acceptance of the material wood in demanding engineering structures. This can be achieved by applying the component method in timber construction, which provides the designer a tried-and-tested alternative method for dimensioning different connections in terms of load capacity and stiffness using a standardized approach. The purpose of this project is to enable the applicability of the component method in timber construction and to facilitate access to the practice for this method through a compilation of typical components and a design example.
With the help of the component method, the accurate prediction of the load-bearing behaviour can be used not only to redistribute the internal forces in the system, but also to give an indication of the anticipated failure mechanism of the connection. This innovative method, in the spirit of sustainable development within the construction industry, can not only save material and energy but also increase the market share of the renewable material wood by increasing the attractiveness of timber construction, even in demanding engineering structures. Due to the changed awareness and the increasing desire to use sustainable building methods more and more, there is the opportunity for timber construction to expand its fields of application through innovative methods of construction and design on a national and international level. Furthermore, by using the component method, a desirable standardization of connections in timber construction is made possible and promoted. As a result, the cost-effectiveness of timber structures is significantly increased, thus further increasing the competitiveness with other construction methods, which have long used the advantages of a standardized design (see “Typified Connections in Steel Buildings”). Here are mainly structures with large spans and a frequent repetition of the same structural elements and connections, such as halls or office buildings with flexible floor plan, but also skyscrapers, to be seen as a potential area of application of timber construction.
Methodology
In the component method, the dimensioning of the overall joint is carried out by disassembling the complex connection into smaller, calculable individual components. In a first step, therefore, already executed connections and structures are analysed and for the load-deformation behaviour relevant individual components are identified and catalogued. This approach should also be followed in the experimental investigations on a typical moment-resisting joint. The connection of a column footing is therefore broken down into smaller components, which in turn are further investigated by experimental, analytical and numerical methods. By carrying out the detailed investigations, analytical models for the load bearing capacity and stiffness of each component can be developed and validated with the test values. From these individual models, an overall spring model of the total joint can be assembled last and thus its carrying capacity and rigidity can be determined.
Project Team
Institut für Konstruktion und Entwurf
Universität Stuttgart
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrike Kuhlmann,
Julius Gauß, M.Sc.
Project Duration
01.05.2017 – 31.05.2019
Research Funding
Bundesinstituts für Bau-, Stadt-, und Raumforschung (BBSR)
im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (BBR),
SPAX International GmbH & Co. KG
WIEHAG GmbH
Adolf Würth GmbH