Recovery testing of self-centering steel-timber hybrid beam-column connections

A self-centering steel-timber hybrid beam-column connection design was proposed to improve performance of conventional self-centering timber beam-column connections. The proposed connection utilized a steel-timber composite column to prevent the wood material from being compressed perpendicular to the grain. In this paper, the recovery performance of the hybrid connection was experimentally investigated. Six specimens were prepared for the recovery testing. Three experimental variables, including the initial post-tensioning force, energy dissipator types (sliding friction and metallic yielding), and key parameters of dampers, were considered. After the first loading, the specimens reached their ultimate performance with damage. Then specimens were repaired and loaded for the second time. Five recovery indexes were calculated to quantitatively evaluate the recovery performance of hybrid connections. The effects of different variables on the recovery ability of hybrid connections were explored.