Strengthening of timber beams with high strength steel cords

This paper presents an experimental study on the strengthening of wood beams under bending loads through the use of very high strength steel cords. The study also presents the results of 21 double shear push-out tests conducted to determine the strength of Steel fiber Reinforced Polymers (SRP) bonded to wood prisms. An experimental programme based on a four-point bending test configuration is proposed to characterize the stiffness, ductility and strength response of strengthened wood beams. Mechanical tests on the strengthened wood showed that external bonding of steel fibers produce high increases in flexural stiffness and capacity. Finally experiment results are used to calibrate existing analytical formulations for capacity prediction. This economic and effective technique may be an interesting alternative to glass or carbon fibers or other expensive retrofitting methods. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.