The objective of this work is to further develop the Picture Frame Test with Notches (PFTK) for
investigating the in-plane shear behavior of wood and wood-based materials. The focus is on
validating numerical models through experimental testing and optimizing the notch geometry to
improve the robustness of load application and to specifically induce the desired shear failure.
Timber components require reliable characteristic values of the in-plane shear behavior for design
purposes; however, existing test methods are not suitable for all types of structures or involve
significant effort. The PFTK represents an approach to generating a pure shear field in the test
specimens; however, it has so far shown shortcomings due to undesirable plastic deformations of
the notches.
For the investigation, shear tests were conducted on veneer plywood using the PFTK and
numerically simulated using the finite element method (FEM). The experimental data were used to
validate the models. Building on this, a parameter study was conducted in which the notch geometry
was systematically varied and the influence on the shear field, deformations, and shear forces was
analyzed.
The test results show that, in principle, a well-defined shear field can be generated using the PFTK,
but significant notch deformations frequently occur. The FE models reproduce the experimental
results with sufficient accuracy and enable a detailed analysis of the stress distributions. Through
targeted adjustments to the notch geometry, the robustness of the notches with regard to the
resulting deformations and shear stress peaks can be significantly improved, while the shear field
remains largely unaffected.
For the further development of the testing method, additional test series are required to validate the
optimized notch geometries. Furthermore, in-depth numerical studies should be conducted to
analyze nonlinear effects as well as the differing behavior of longitudinal and transverse orientations
in three-dimensional models.
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