Flexural Fatigue Behavior of Glulam Beams Connected with Steel Splints and Bolts

Glulam beams connected with steel splints and bolts (GBSBs) are subjected to cyclic reciprocating dynamic loads in practice, which eventually leads to damage accumulation and structure failure. In order to promote the development of GBSBs, an experimental study was carried out, and theoretical analysis of the fatigue behavior of GBSBs was conducted. Three static load test beams and six fatigue test beams were designed and fabricated, taking into account the different stress levels and fatigue limit loads. Theoretical analysis of the data, linear regression analysis, and electron microscopy analysis of the material were carried out. The test results show that the GBSBs have good fatigue properties and that fatigue damage mainly occurs near the loading point. As the number of load cycles increases, the mid-span deflection and strain of the beam increase by a significant amount, and linear degradation of the stiffness occurs. In addition, a linear regression analysis of the amplitude of the fatigue load and the fatigue life was carried out, resulting in a fatigue limit load of 0.5435 Fu.