Load-Carrying Capacity and Stiffness of Softwood Wooden Dowel Connections

Historically, wooden peg connections have been widely used in timber joints, particularly during the Middle Ages, and the use of these wooden connections is becoming popular again. In this article, an experimental investigation of seven different combinations of pegged connection parameters is presented. Embedment, single-shear, and double-shear tests of pine peg connections were loaded parallel and perpendicular to the grain under monotonic static compressive loads. Pegs of 10, 15, and 20 mm diameters were tested in three different shapes: straight cylindrical, straight traditional, and conical traditional. All peg shapes exhibited similar maximum loads, but straight traditional pegs exhibited greater stiffness than cylindrical pegs due to the tight fit of the peg. The ultimate load capacities of the straight traditional and cylindrical peg connections were then compared to a model based on Johansen’s theory of timber connections and were accurately predicted in both single and double shear.