Experimental Study on the Behaviour of Glulam Timber Beams Bonded with Glued-in BFRP Rods

Abstract

The technique known as glued-in rods (GiR) presents an appealing option for effectively connecting structural timber members. The utilization of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) rods offers additional advantages, such as reduced weight, improved corrosion resistance and lower thermal conductivity. Studies examining the behaviour of GiR connections with Basalt FRP (BFRP) rods are limited, and there is currently a lack of guidance for their fabrication and design. This paper presents an experimental study on the performance of glulam timber beams bonded with glued-in BFRP rods. Epoxy adhesive was used to glue the BFRP rods into the cross-sections of glulam, forming the connections. The experimental programme includes four types of connections, investigating two configurations for the glued-in rods (Designs D1 and D2) and two rod diameters (8 mm and 10 mm). Testing was conducted with four replicates for each connection type, resulting in a total of 16 tests. To assess the moment capacity of connections, a four-point bending set-up with a 2300 mm span, was applied. The response in terms of load-displacement response was monitored and the failure mechanisms were assessed. The predominant observed failure mode was bar pull-out and tensile splitting of timber. D1 connections with 10 mm bars demonstrated superior performance in both moment capacity and maximum displacement at failure.