Laterally loaded performance of single dowel-type fastener used for steel plate-to-timber connections

Bolts, nails and screws are the most commonly used connectors in steel-to-timber composite (STC) system. Gluedin rod (GIR) as one kind of connectors for timber structures, is also supposed to be used as the connections in STC system. This paper reports an experimental campaign on steel plate-to-timber connections with single GIR and wood screw fastener aiming to investigate the shear performance of the connections. The experimental results indicated that under lateral load, the fasteners exhibited "one hinge" or "two hinges" deformation modes typically, which are greatly associated with the fastener anchorage length. The load-relative displacement curves were generally characterized by a linearly increasing response followed a yield plateau and a secondary non-linearly increasing response indicating the so-called rope effect of the fasteners. The fastener anchorage length showed significant influence on the load capacity of the screwed steel plate-to-timber connections while did not affect the load capacity of the steel plate-to-timber connections with GIR fasteners. The initial stiffness and ductility of the steel plate-to-timber connections were obviously influenced by the fastener anchorage length. A finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the joint behaviour and the simulation results are in good agreement with test results. Finally, the load-carrying capacity of the steel plate-to-timber connections with screw and GIR fasteners was predicted by the calculation model reported in Eurocode 5 and a new proposed calculation model, respectively.