Experimental Assessment of the Load Distribution in Multi-Dowel Timber Connections

An integrative, hierarchically organized testing procedure for the quantification of the load distribution in multi-dowel timber connections is presented herein. The use of contactless deformation measurement systems allowed the combination of test data from single dowel and multi-dowel connections, which gave access to the loads acting on each dowel over the full loading history. As a consequence of the anisotropic material behavior of wood, a nonuniform and progressively changing load distribution among the dowels was found.