Timber connection behaviour characterisation based on similitude laws

Testing a full size structure requires very expensive means. Therefore, an alternative approach consists of testing a representative scaled down model, whose design is based on similitude laws. The aim of this article is to establish similitude factors in order to predict the full scale behaviour of timber connection from 1/2 and 1/3 reduced scales behaviour. Ultimately, similitude factors are applied to timber construction which depend on joint behaviour. These similitude factors were evaluated from experimental tests on connections and then compared to the theoretical ones. Due to distortion similarities, disparities have been observed between experimental and theoretical similitude factors.