Strengthening, Retrofitting and Upgrading of Timber Structures with High-Strength Fibres

Around 1990, a project was launched to investigate the possibilities of fabricating efficient wooden joints reinforced with high-strength fibres (HSF). The main considerations of the work were strength, stiffness and practical feasibility. Extensive experimental work was required to optimise the quality of the polymer and of the resulting bond, as well as the flow of forces within the joints for various arrangements of the splice plates. The results have subsequently been applied during reinforcement of existing timber structures. Practical recommendations are given for the execution of such work.