Numerical Investigation of a Sustainable Composite Connection

During the last decade there is an increasing awareness towards sustainable construction solutions. The reason of this shift is that the construction sector contributes to approximately 40 % of the global output of CO2 emissions, thus making it essential to act in lowering this high amount. A key aspect in the successful implementation of sustainable construction solutions is the use of construction materials that can be 100% recycled, such as steel, and that come from renewable sources, such as timber. Therefore, the interest in using steel‐timber composite (STC) elements and connections has grown since they can provide a robust alternative construction technique to traditional ones. The aim of this paper is to investigate the structural performance of a bolted STC shear connection using finite element analysis. The connection under study consists of two dahurian larch glulam elements that are bolted to the flanges of an H‐profile steel element by means of four M6 bolts for each timber component. The numerical model has been validated using the results of an experimental study where a pull‐out test of the same connection is performed [1]. Overall, the numerical results have shown good accuracy. The bolt failure has occurred when 47.5 kN of force had been applied. This amount of load is about 12% less than the failure load found in the experiment. The slip of the numerical model has been found equal to 5.4 mm whereas the slip measured in the experiment has been measured equal to 7.5 mm. In addition, the failure mode that has developed in the numerical model is governed by the formation of two hinges on the bolts which coincides to the experimental one. To sum up, the numerical model has managed to capture to a great extent the structural performance of the composite connection as presented in the experimental findings.