Experimental Testing and Analytical Prediction of the Behaviour of Timber Bolted Connections Subjected to Fire

The ultimate strength of bolted and dowelled connections in timber members at ambient temperatures have been assessed using Johansen’s yield equations in Europe and USA. More recently, several researchers have begun to investigate the strength of bolted and dowelled connections at elevated temperatures. Research has been carried out at the University of Canterbury to investigate the application of Johansen’s yield equations to the prediction of the failure strength of bolted connections in fire conditions. A series of single bolted connections using steel side plates was heated at constant temperature for several hours, then loaded to failure and used to determine the embedment strength of the wood over a range of temperatures from ambient to 300°C. The temperature-dependent embedment strengths are employed in Johansen’s equations for connections using a central steel plate as well as connections using steel and wood side members. Comparisons are also being made with the results of several similar connections tested in fire conditions and show considerable promise for predicting failure of such joints. A proposal for implementation of an easy-to-use approach for the prediction of the fire resistance of bolted joints is discussed in the paper, based on an extension of the Johansen’s yield equations to fire conditions, including a model for the variation of the embedment strength with temperature.