Textile-Reinforced Joints in Timber Construction

Wood as a structural material has a balanced material profile with high specific stiffness and strength, yet at low cost and with an excellent environmental profile. However, wood suffers from brittleness and anisotropy, characterised by very low strength and stiffness perpendicular to the grain and in shear. Moreover, wood is an organic material that undergoes biological and physical degradation. One means of improving the structural applicability of wood is to use textiles as reinforcement or as a protective coating. The present experience with textile reinforcements in timber construction shows promising results, indicating that textile/wood composite technology may become a universally applicable technique for the reinforcement and protection of structural elements and joints. Textile technology offers many more possibilities to optimise the reinforcement with respect to the stress state and shape of a structural element.