Carbon Fiber and Structural Timber Composites for Engineering and Construction
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 24, Issue 3
Abstract
There are environmental and potential economic advantages in using laminated veneer lumber (LVL) for building structures, but load-carrying capacity constrains uptake. Building on previous work in the field, the authors test the strategic placement of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer (CFRP) to improve the flexural strength of timber beams, investigating both positive and negative bending moments of structural assembly. The results demonstrate: unidirectional CFRP applied as a U-wrap on the tension side of beams improves load carrying by 25%, stiffness by 20%, and ductility by 30%; a combination of uni- and bidirectional CFRP mesh applied to beam–column joints with no other connectors achieves substantial structural continuity between beams. U-wrap reinforcement also shifts the mode of failure from abrupt to gradual. Another significant observation is that wood splinters appear to cause premature failure, and we consider solutions to this issue. Discussion of the outcomes for advancing the uptake of timber as a more sustainable structural material are undertaken, along with an outline of further work.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 24 • Issue 3 • September 2018
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 8, 2017
Accepted: Feb 12, 2018
Published online: Jun 18, 2018
Published in print: Sep 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Nov 18, 2018
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