Effectiveness of Anticheck Bolts in Split Ring Connections Repair

There are numerous large span timber hangars dating back to World War II. These structures were built with large green timbers and were normally assembled using split rings and/or shear plates. Because of shrinkage in the timbers in the joint area, most of the structural members show severe splitting. As a precautionary measure, the capacity of the connections is usually reduced. A typical repair method is to install anticheck (A/C) bolts running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the timbers. Repairing members using A/C bolts is more favorable over other methods because A/C bolts are easy to install. Three groups of full-scale specimens representing typical connections in Warren truss hangars were fabricated with splits in the truss tension members, and they were tested using A/C bolts to verify the effectiveness of A/C bolts as means of repair for split connection members in large span timber hangars. Results showed that the strength of damaged tension members where splits run between split ring rows was not significantly different from undamaged tension members. In addition, A/C bolts significantly reinforced some damaged connections and could be used to reinforce undamaged split ring connections and force an ultimate ductile failure mode.