Combined effects of axial and lateral loading for Glued-In steel rods in laminated veneer lumber

Glued-in rod timber connections are used to achieve structural continuity in timber structural members and as moment connections due to their high efficiency, stiffness and axial load transition. Existing studies have focused on axial withdrawal load capacity but there is limited research on laterally loaded glued-in rods and combined effects of lateral and axial loading which is common loading condition for all connections. This study investigates the relationship between axial and lateral loading in the ductile failure modes of glued-in steel rods in hardwood LVL. In all specimens an unbonded length was provided based on the latest design recommendations to mitigate splitting failure. The experimental findings suggest that the introduction of lateral load had no effect on the axial load capacities of the rods when the governing failure mode was rod yielding. This is not currently addressed in Eurocode 5. The lateral force capacity exceeded the design code prediction by 82%, and design recommendations are discussed for more accurate estimation of the lateral capacity. The use of the component method can be adopted to estimate accurately the rotational stiffness of moment connections with glued-in rods in LVL.