Experimental Campaign and Analysis on Double-Shear Wooden Connections

The presence of water in wooden elements is very important because it represents the key in the determination of the resistances of a wooden sample. The influences of the environmental conditions like temperature, relative humidity, wind, rain are constantly changing wood properties. The paper presents the different types of water that are found in a wooden piece together with experimental results on the displacement of double-shear wooden connections with wooden dowels that have been modified in two pre-established environments. The moisture content has been changed from 12% natural moisture of wood in normal building conditions to 8% and 16% for wood that is found in different climatic conditions. The experimental results are then compared with numerical calculations from the international standard Eurocode 5.