Component Method in Timber Construction – Experimental and Numerical Research

The tests on moment resisting timber joints and theirseveral components showed the general applicabilityof the component method in timber construction.Prerequisite is a detailed knowledge of the load-displacement behaviour (including a stop criterion)of the applied components especially for componentswhich are decisively influencing the joint stiffnessand the maximum load. The interaction of the variouscomponents and the splitting of the timber member,even if it doesn't lead to a failure of the joint, have aninfluence on the joint stiffness and therefore have tobe considered for large joint deformations.For the moment, the simulation of complex jointswith 3D-FE models seems to be too sophisticated foran application in a standard design process. Springmodels based on the component method offer asignificantly easier approach to simulate the load-displacement behaviour of timber joints. To enablethe use of such spring models, the properties (loadbearing capacity, stiffness, maximum deformation) oftypical components and the appropriate applicationof the stiffness value within the design process haveto be defined (at best, within Eurocode 5).