A plate with ridge structures was proposed to strengthen and stiffen a bolted flitch-plate connection for small roundwood. Six semicircular ridge structures 4.8 mm (3/16 in.) radius were placed along the width dimension of the plate at a spacingof 38 mm (1.5 in.). The ridge plate design improved load redistribution and strength capacity for the connection due to the introduction of friction and bearing resistance as supplementary load transfer modes. Maximum loading capacity increased by 40 and initial stiffness by at least 70 compared to a joint configuration with a smooth stock plate. To realize the improved connection performance reported in this article, the wood groove surface must be kept in contact with the ridge plate. In this study,tension rebar using a bolt with large washers was used to serve this purpose.
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