Composite Wood–Concrete Structural Floor System with Horizontal Connectors

The concept of horizontal shear connection utilization on wood–concrete beams intends to be an alternative connection detail for composite wood–concrete decks. The volume of sawn-wood is over three times more expensive than concrete, in Brazil. In order to be competitive in the Brazilian market we need a composite deck with the least amount of wood and a simple and inexpensive connection detail. This research project uses medium to high density tropical hardwoods managed from the Brazilian Amazon region and construction steel rods. The beams studied are composed of a bottom layer of staggered wood boards and a top layer of concrete. The wood members are laterally nailed together to form a wide beam, and horizontal rebar connectors are installed before the concrete layer is applied on top. Two sets of wood–concrete layered beams with horizontal rebar connectors (6 and 8) were tested in third-point loading flexural bending. The initial results reveal medium composite efficiency for the beams tested. An improvement on the previously conceived connection detail (set with six connectors) for the composite wood–concrete structural floor system was achieved by the set with eight connectors. The new layout of the horizontal rebar connectors added higher composite efficiency for the beams tested. Further analysis with advanced rigorous numerical Finite Element Modeling is suggested to optimize the connection parameters. Composite wood–concrete decks can attend a large demand for pedestrian bridges, as well as residential and commercial slabs in the Brazilian Amazon. © 2014, The Author(s)

Long-term load–deformation behaviour of timber–concrete joints

This paper discusses the long-term mechanical behaviour of timber-to-concrete joints made with dowel-type fasteners. Despite the influence that the long-term behaviour of joints has on the mechanical behaviour of a timber–concrete structure and consequently on its design, there is still a lack of research in this area. This paper presents experimental research, carried out at the University of Coimbra and Delft University of Technology, on seven joint configurations using different types of fasteners and different materials. For each joint configuration, either four or ten tests were performed resulting in a total of forty tests. A comprehensive description of the test specimens and test setup is given. The experimental creep–time curves were fitted to a creep–time model and used to predict joint creep values over longer timeframes (10 and 50 years). The values obtained were compared with values available in the literature for timber-to-concrete joints with other types of fasteners and timber-to-timber joints with dowel-type fasteners. The approach for timber-to-timber joints suggested by Eurocode 5 was used to determine creep values for timber-to-concrete joints. The results obtained were compared with test results to assess the accuracy of predicting creep values of timber-to-concrete joints with dowel-type fasteners. It was concluded that creep values measured in long-term experimental tests are usually higher than those obtained from the model indicated in Eurocode 5, particularly for environmental conditions corresponding the service class 2.Design and ConstructionCivil Engineering and Geoscience