Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of the Mechanical Behavior of FRP-Strengthened Solid and Glulam Timber Beams
Şemsettin KILINÇARSLAN, Yasemin Şi̇mşek Türker, Mehmet Avcar
Abstract
Wood, notably in the forms of sawn lumber and glued laminated (glulam) timber, serves as a prevalent structural material for lightweight constructions and bridges with short spans. Over time, timber structures might experience deterioration due to factors such as biological attack, ageing, and escalated service loads. In such cases, reinforcing or repairing the compromised timber components can often be more economical than full replacement. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, particularly those strengthened using carbon fiber, present significant potential in enhancing the stiffness or load-carrying capacity of these timber systems. In the present investigation, the bending behavior of both solid and glulam beams, reinforced with carbon FRP composites in a "U" shape at the bottom layer, was studied experimentally and numerically. It was observed that reinforced glulam beams exhibit superior load-carrying capacity, displacement, modulus of rupture, and modulus of elasticity as compared to their unreinforced solid beam counterparts. Even though both types of beams are fabricated from identical materials, the laminated beams demonstrated markedly enhanced bending characteristics. Moreover, the addition of reinforcement to glulam beams showed a substantial improvement in bending performance. Consistency between numerical simulations, conducted using a finite element analysis program, and experimental outcomes was noted. This research suggests that timber materials, when strengthened with fiber-augmented polymer fabrics, can be accurately represented using numerical tools.