Advantages of dvw reinforced moment transmitting timber joints with steel flitch plates for column-beam application

This paper presents a study into the moment-rotation aspects of dvw (densified veneer wood) reinforced timber connections with an inter-connecting flitch plate used as middle member. Previous studies showed that reinforcing dowel-type timber connections with dvw and using expanded tube fasteners results in connections with superior structural properties regarding strength, stiffness and ductility. Drawback is the total thickness of a three-member connection. By exchanging a timber member by a much thinner steel flitch plate, the thickness can be strongly reduced. This arrangement has particular advantages as column-beam connection. This paper shows by a analytically and numerically study confirmed by experiments that the stiffness of two connections in series have the same stiffness as a single connection.