An Experimental Investigation into the Behavior of Steel-Timber Composite Beams
Publication: Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction
Volume 27, Issue 1
Abstract
An experimental study on the structural behavior of steel-timber composite beams is presented in this paper. The timber beams were reinforced with flat and channel-shaped cold form steel (CFS) sections through different types of shear connectors (bolts, self-drilling screws, and epoxy glue). A total of nine beam specimens were tested under monotonic loading. The performance of the strengthened beams was evaluated on the basis of ultimate load-carrying capacity, flexural rigidity, energy ductility, and strength-to-weight ratios. The strengthening of beams with CFS sections delayed or prevented the typical brittle failure as observed in control beams. Among different types of shear connectors, epoxy glue proved to be the most reliable connection for the composite beam, whereas bolts were the least efficient. The use of channel sections leads to a considerable enhancement in the load-carrying capacity of the timber specimens by various mechanisms owing to synergetic effects between CFS and timber. Relative to the control beam, an appreciable improvement in structural efficiency and ductility index was observed for all the strengthened beams.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
References
Adil Dar, M., N. Subramanian, A. R. Dar, A. I. Rather, M. Atif, and S. Syed. 2019. “Strengthening of capacity deficient RC beams—An experimental approach.” Struct. Eng. Mech. 70 (3): 303–310. https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2019.70.3.303.
Alhayek, H., and D. Svecova. 2012. “Flexural stiffness and strength of GFRP-reinforced timber beams.” J. Compos. Constr. 16 (3): 245–252. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000261.
Al-Ridha, A. S. D., Q. K. Hameed, A. F. Atshan, A. A. Abbood, and L. S. Dheyab. 2020. “Evaluation of strengthening steel beams using the technique of carbon fiber confinement by a steel plate (CFCSP).” Adv. Civ. Eng. Mater. 9 (1): 53–66. https://doi.org/10.1520/ACEM20190164.
Antonopoulos, C. P., and T. C. Triantafillou. 2003. “Experimental investigation of FRP-strengthened RC beam-column joints.” J. Compos. Constr. 7 (1): 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0268(2003)7:1(39).
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2005a. Metallic materials—Tensile testing at ambient temperature. IS 1608-2005. New Delhi, India: BIS.
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). 2005b. Methods of testing of small clear specimens of timber. IS 1708-1986. New Delhi, India: BIS.
Cai, Y. 2009. “Flexural study and design of timber beams reinforced with high modulus fibers.” Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, State Univ. of New Jersey.
Dar, M. A., N. Subramanian, M. Anbarasu, H. Carvalho, and A. R. Dar. 2021. “Effective strengthening of timber beams: Experimental investigation.” Pract. Period. Struct. Des. Constr. 26 (1): 04020042. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)SC.1943-5576.0000532.
Del Vecchio, C., M. Di Ludovico, A. Balsamo, A. Prota, G. Manfredi, and M. Dolce. 2014. “Experimental investigation of exterior RC beam-column joints retrofitted with FRP systems.” J. Compos. Constr. 18 (4): 04014002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000459.
Gand, A. K., D. Yeboah, M. Khorami, A. O. Olubanwo, and R. Lumor. 2018. “Behaviour of strengthened timber beams using near surface mounted basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) rebars.” Eng. Solid Mech. 6 (4): 341–352. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.esm.2018.7.001.
Ghanbari Ghazijahani, T., H. Jiao, and D. Holloway. 2017. “Composite timber beams strengthened by steel and CFRP.” J. Compos. Constr. 21 (1): 04016059. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000714.
Grace, N. F., A. K. Soliman, G. Abdel-Sayed, and K. R. Saleh. 1998. “Behavior and ductility of simple and continuous FRP reinforced beams.” J. Compos. Constr. 2 (4): 186–194. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0268(1998)2:4(186).
Hassanieh, A., H. R. Valipour, and M. A. Bradford. 2016. “Experimental and numerical study of steel-timber composite (STC) beams.” J. Constr. Steel Res. 122 (Jul): 367–378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2016.04.005.
Jasieńko, J., and T. P. Nowak. 2014. “Solid timber beams strengthened with steel plates - Experimental studies.” Constr. Build. Mater. 63 (Jul): 81–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.04.020.
Jeong, S. M., and A. E. Naaman. 1995. “Ductility of concrete beams prestressed with FRP tendons.” In Proc., 2nd Int. RILEM Symp. (FRPRCS-2), 379–386. London: E. & F.N. Spon.
Keipour, N., H. R. Valipour, and M. A. Bradford. 2018. “Steel-timber composite beam-to-column joints: Effect of connections between timber slabs.” J. Constr. Steel Res. 151 (Dec): 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2018.09.019.
Khaloo, A., H. Moradi, A. Kazemian, and M. Shekarchi. 2020. “Experimental investigation on the behavior of RC arches strengthened by GFRP composites.” Constr. Build. Mater. 235 (Feb): 117519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117519.
Loss, C., and A. Frangi. 2017. “Experimental investigation on in-plane stiffness and strength of innovative steel-timber hybrid floor diaphragms.” Eng. Struct. 138 (May): 229–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.02.032.
Narmashiri, K., M. Z. Jumaat, and N. H. R. Sulong. 2011. “Failure modes of CFRP flexural strengthened steel I-beams.” Key Eng. Mater. 471–472: 590–595. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.471-472.590.
Rescalvo, F. J., E. Suarez, C. Abarkane, A. Cruz-Valdivieso, and A. Gallego. 2019. “Experimental validation of a CFRP laminated/fabric hybrid layout for retrofitting and repairing timber beams.” Mech. Adv. Mater. Struct. 26 (22): 1902–1909. https://doi.org/10.1080/15376494.2018.1455940.
Rescalvo, F. J., I. Valverde-Palacios, E. Suarez, and A. Gallego. 2017. “Experimental comparison of different carbon fiber composites in reinforcement layouts for wooden beams of historical buildings.” Materials 10 (10): 1113. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10101113.
Rescalvo, F. J., I. Valverde-Palacios, E. Suarez, and A. Gallego. 2018. “Experimental and analytical analysis for bending load capacity of old timber beams with defects when reinforced with carbon fiber strips.” Compos. Struct. 186 (Dec): 29–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2017.11.078.
Shekarchi, M., E. M. Farahani, and A. V. Oskouei. 2019. “Effect of seawater on pull-out behavior of glued-in single rods set parallel to the grain of timber joints.” Constr. Build. Mater. 222 (Oct): 342–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.06.140.
Shekarchi, M., A. Vatani Oskouei, and G. M. Raftery. 2020. “Flexural behavior of timber beams strengthened with pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymer profiles.” Compos. Struct. 241 (Feb): 112062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.112062.
Stehn, L., and H. Johansson. 2002. “Ductility aspects in nailed glue laminated timber connection design.” J. Struct. Eng. 128 (3): 382–389. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2002)128:3(382).
Taheri, E., A. Firouzianhaji, N. Usefi, P. Mehrabi, H. Ronagh, and B. Samali. 2019. “Investigation of a method for strengthening perforated cold-formed steel profiles under compression loads.” Appl. Sci. 9 (23): 5085. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9235085.
Uzel, M., A. Togay, Ö. Anil, and C. Söğütlü. 2018. “Experimental investigation of flexural behavior of glulam beams reinforced with different bonding surface materials.” Constr. Build. Mater. 158 (Jan): 149–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.10.033.
Wang, C. L., J. Lyu, J. Zhao, and H. Yang. 2020. “Experimental investigation of the shear characteristics of steel-to-timber composite joints with inclined self-tapping screws.” Eng. Struct. 215 (Apr): 110683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110683.
Xu, B. H., D. F. Li, Y. H. Zhao, and A. Bouchaïr. 2020. “Load-carrying capacity of timber joints with multiple glued-in steel rods loaded parallel to grain.” Eng. Struct. 225 (Dec): 111302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.111302.
Yang, Y. L., J. W. Liu, and G. J. Xiong. 2013. “Flexural behavior of wood beams strengthened with HFRP.” Constr. Build. Mater. 43 (Jun): 118–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.01.029.
Yousefi, O., K. Narmashiri, and M. R. Ghaemdoust. 2017. “Structural behaviors of notched steel beams strengthened using CFRP strips.” Steel Compos. Struct. 25 (1): 35–43. https://doi.org/10.12989/scs.2017.25.1.035.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 16, 2021
Accepted: Aug 8, 2021
Published online: Sep 23, 2021
Published in print: Feb 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Feb 23, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Mudasir Rashid, Javed Ahmad Bhat, Shakeel A. Waseem, Strengthening of RC beams with CFS angle sections: performance assessment of various anchoring solutions, Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 10.1007/s41062-022-00889-7, 7, 5, (2022).
- Shakeel Ahmad Waseem, A. B. Danie Roy, R. Siva Chidambaram, Gaurav Ghangas, Feasibility of Geo-Grid as confining Reinforcement in RC Columns: An Experimental Investigation, Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series A, 10.1007/s40030-021-00593-2, 103, 1, (139-153), (2022).