Finite element analysis of wood adhesive joints

Engineered wood products such as glulam or cross-laminated timber are widely established in the construction industry. Their structural behaviour and reliability clearly bases on the adhesive bonding. In order to understand and improve the performance of glued wood members a finite element modelling of standard single lap shear samples was carried out. A three-dimensional model of a longitudinal tensile-shear specimen with quasi-centric load application was developed. The main influences of wood and adhesive parameters on structural performance were identified. Therefore, variations of the elasticity, the annual ring angle, fibre angle, and the interface zone and their effect on the occurring stresses in the adhesive bond line were investigated numerically. The adhesive bond line is most significantly sensitive to the Young´s modulus of the adhesive itself. A variation of the fibre angle of the glued members in the standard test is an essential criterion and to be considered when preparing lap shear specimens. A model wit