Load-Carrying Behaviour of Dowel-Type Timber Connections with Multiple Slotted-in Steel Plates

The multiple-shear dowel connection with slotted-in steel plates is one of the most efficient joints for large cross section timber structures. Experiments were performed on dowel-type timber connections with one, two and three slotted in steel plates under lateral loads parallel to the grain. Test variables include the number of steel plates, the spacing of the steel plates, and the dowel diameter. Results show that the load-carrying capacity of the dowel-type connection increased as the number and spacing of steel plates in the same thickness of timber specimens. Finally, a model of the load-carrying capacity of multiple shear steel-to-timber connections is presented, which showed good agreement with the results obtained in the experiment.