ISSN: 0090-3973
Page Count: 10

Modeling Bolted Connections in Wood: A Three-Dimensional Finite-Element Approach

Patton-Mallory, M
Assistant director,Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, USDA,CO,

Smith, FW
Professor of mechanical engineering,Colorado state University,CO,

Pellicane, PJ
Professor of mechanical engineering,Colorado state University,CO,

(Received 26 December 1996; accepted 28 August 1997)

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3-D) finite-element model was developed and verified which is capable of predicting the failure mode and load-deformation (P - Δ) behavior of a single bolted connection in wood. The 3-D geometry of the model is complemented by a trilinear orthotropic constitutive model for wood and an elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive characterization of the pin (bolt). The model accounted for the nonlinear behavior found in bolted wood connections associated with wood crushing and geometric nonlinearities at the wood/metal interface. A special contact element was used at the wood/pin interface to enforce a criterion of no pin penetration (i.e., strain compatibility) through the wood member.

Experimentally obtained P-Δ curves were compared against those obtained numerically. For all geometries studied, the model proved to capture the characteristics of the experimental analyses.

Keywords:
three-dimensional, finite element model, bolted connections, wood, stress analysis

Paper ID: JTE11981J
DOI: 10.1520/JTE11981J
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