A method to model wood by using ABAQUS finite element software. Part 2. Application to dowel type connections

This report presents numerical analyses of dowel connections modeled in ABAQUS using a rheological model for wood taking into account loading time, moisture content of wood and the load case. Some experimental tests under constant moisture content have been modeled as well and the numerical results are in good agreement with the experiments. Variable relative humidity conditions have been applied to some connections. The results show that the variations of moisture content in wood can strongly increase the stresses in wood, especially in the direction perpendicular to the grain. The same connection has been modeled with and without reinforcement based on glued-in rods. It appears that the presence of glued-in rods affects the stresses around the holes and most of the tension stresses are converted into compression stresses. A one dowel connection has been modeled to study the influence of the friction coefficient between wood and steel on the crack appearance. The results have showed that the higher the friction coefficient is, the smaller the strains perpendicular to grain are