Assessment of existing safety formats for timber connections - How probabilistic approaches can influence connection design in timber engineering

Summary Connections are important details in timber construction, connecting single members and elements to larger structures. The design of connections is regulated by structural standards that in general make use of the so called semi-probabilistic safety concept. This concept contains reliability elements, i.e. a conventional deterministic representation of strength and stiffness related properties and action effects as specified fractile values of the underlying probability distributions, partial factors and load combination factors. Standardisation bodies scertain the reliability elements in order to provide sufficient reliability for the design solutions that result from the application of the code. This is also done for the semi-probabilistic design basis for timber connections. However, despite of the fundamental differences in mechanical and material behaviour, in general the same reliability elements as for the design of timber structural components are used. The present article takes a critical appraisal of the existing safety format for timber connections as implemented in the Eurocode.      «

Summary Connections are important details in timber construction, connecting single members and elements to larger structures. The design of connections is regulated by structural standards that in general make use of the so called semi-probabilistic safety concept. This concept contains reliability elements, i.e. a conventional deterministic representation of strength and stiffness related properties and action effects as specified fractile values of the underlying probability distributions, p...     »