Timber failure mechanisms in high-capacity dowelled connections of timber to steel: Experimental results and design

The timber failure mechanisms at the connection area (block shear, plug shear, row shear, tension at the joint area) of high capacity dowelled steel-to-timber connections were explored by arranging a large experimental program to investigate the strength of both double shear and multiple shear connections. All tested connections were steel-to-timber connections using large diameter and consequently fairly rigid dowels. The experiments consisted altogether of more than 150 tension tests by which different and versatile dowel configurations were tested. Based on the experimental results, a new design method against timber failure mechanisms at the connection area was developed. The new method is suitable especially for high capacity steel-to-timber connections.