ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Numerical Modeling of the Fatigue Strength of Timber Joint Connections with Connector Plates
 
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University of Zielona Góra, Institute of Civil Engineering, Zielona Góra, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2025-04-16
 
 
Final revision date: 2025-05-21
 
 
Acceptance date: 2025-06-01
 
 
Online publication date: 2025-07-13
 
 
Publication date: 2025-07-13
 
 
Corresponding author
Arkadiusz Denisiewicz   

Institute of Civil Engineering, University of Zielona Gora, Poland
 
 
Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports 2025;35(3):136-149
 
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
This study investigates the fatigue performance of timber joints with connector plates through experimental testing and numerical simulation. A displacement-controlled fatigue test was conducted on a timber connection composed of C24-grade wood elements and a T150 steel connector plate. Failure occurred due to progressive shearing of the plate teeth. Numerical analyses were performed using Abaqus (for static FEM simulation) and fe-safe (for fatigue prediction), applying two models: Morrow and Goodman. Simulations evaluated the effects of varying displacement amplitudes (0.5 mm, 2.5 mm, 5.0 mm), friction coefficients (0.1, 0.3, 0.5), and load frequencies (6 Hz, 10 Hz). Results show that increased displacement and friction lead to lower fatigue life due to localized stress concentrations. The predicted damage locations corresponded with experimentally observed failure zones. The applied Critical Plane methodology enabled reliable fatigue life estimation. The approach confirms the usefulness of FEM-based modeling in predicting fatigue failure in timber-steel joints and highlights key parameters affecting durability.
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eISSN:2450-8594
ISSN:2080-5187
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