In recent years, the use of wood in the construction of buildings and bridges has shown a significant increase. Engineered wood continues to evolve and allow much more use than ever before. Being a renewable and eco-responsible material, wood has every interest in being used more. When a deficient structure requires strengthening to increase its lifespan or its loadbearing capacity, one may think of using the well-known techniques combining steel or concrete with wood, or even a complete replacement. But what about the use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials? This strengthening technique has been proven for concrete but present shortcomings for wood. Thus, this master’s thesis deals with this particular subject.
The objective of the present study is to develop rehabilitation methods and design models for timber structures strengthening using FRP. The study includes theoretical and experimental components. The theoretical part aims to define the present study in relation to previous research and to identify research needs. The experimental part consists of preforming bending and pull out tests on wood specimens strengthened with FRP and evaluating their benefits. A total of 17 beams were tested using the four-point bending test method and 12 specimens were tested for pull-out. In bending, three configurations were studied using laminates of fabrics of different widths. The parameters evaluated and analyzed are the failure mode, the forcedisplacement behaviour, the stress-strain behaviour, and the relation between the strains of the FRP and the distance from the centre of the beam. In pull-out, three anchor lengths (100 mm, 150 mm and 500 mm) were evaluated. The parameters evaluated and analyzed, in addition to those in bending, are the relation between the strains in the FRP and the distance from the loaded end, and the relation between the bond stress and the distance from the loaded end.
The results demonstrated that reinforcing a timber member with FRP significantly increases its strength and changes the failure mode from brittle to ductile. Overall, the fabric offers a better performance in both bending and pull-out, as it allows for even distribution of stresses and strains.
| Date | 12 Apr 2021 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Amar Khaled (Supervisor) & Omar Chaallal (Co-supervisor) |
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Germain, M. (Author),
Khaled (Supervisor) &
Chaallal (Co-supervisor),
12 Apr 2021Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Construction Engineering