NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF HARDWOOD TIMBER BEAMS REINFORCED WITH STEEL PLATE SCREWED

ABSTRACT There are several technologies to recover and strengthen timber structures. Two usual alternatives are: the use of steel plates screwed and carbon fiber mats glued with epoxy adhesive. A gap was observed in the literature regarding the study of reinforcement in hardwood timber beams with cross-section loss, commonly found in attacks by biotic or abiotic agents. This study aimed to analyze the flexural stiffness recovery capacity of steel plate screwed to a timber beam with different cross-sectional losses, with a special interest in the effect caused by different bolt arrangements. The results were compared with simulations made using a carbon fiber mat (CF). It was possible to observe that, despite presenting lower efficiency than the CD, the use of steel plate screwed could return the initial stiffness in some models, and the specification of the bolts is relevant in obtaining the results.