LAUSR

Abstract An experimental program to investigate the response of steel-wood-steel bolted connections subjected to simulated blast loads has been undertaken. The study aimed at investigating the dynamic increase in resistance and stiffness for stocky and slender bolts in both parallel and perpendicular to grain directions. Bolted wood connections were investigated under both static and simulated blast loading using the University of Ottawa’s shock tube. The study found a dynamic increase in resistance and stiffness when the failure mode was dominated by wood crushing/embedment in both the parallel and perpendicular to grain directions. No increase in resistance or stiffness was observed when bolt yielding dominated the failure. A loss of ductility was observed under dynamic loading for the parallel to the grain connections designed to fail in wood crushing/embedment. It was found that the use of self-tapping screw reinforcement was an effective method of preventing premature splitting failures and enhancing the performance of a connection. The results showed that connections which engaged the fastener in bending exhibited more favourable behaviour than connections which engaged only in wood crushing/embedment. A two degree-of-freedom model was capable of modelling the connections even when the support frame system had some flexibility.