A numerical study of the effects of stresses induced by moisture gradients in steel-timber dowel joints

摘要

Stresses induced by moisture gradients can interact with (in the drying case) or counteract (in the moistening case) the stresses that contribute to the failure modes of steeltimber dowel joints loaded in tension parallel to the grain. It thus appears reasonable to assume that the load-bearing capacity of dowel-type joints can be either negatively or positively affected by moisture changes in the joint area. Experimental work is in progress to verify the numerical results presented here. The results obtained raise the important question as to how moisture-induced stresses can be avoided by design. The alternative question is whether it is possible to effectively consider the moisture load case in design codes.