Rehabilitation of splice connections of wood trusses with FRP composites

Glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite laminates were investigated for improving the tensile capacity of joint splice connections in the chords of the arch wood trusses of the roof of a historic structure, as part of an overall seismic rehabilitation. Specimens consisting of two 76 mm × 305 mm butt ended heavy dimension lumber members with GFRP laminate connections were tested in tension to simulate the chords of the wood trusses of the historic structure. The GFRP-reinforced splice connections were of two types: Type I had the composite applied to only one 305 mm wood face due to accessibility restrictions; Type II had the composite applied to the two 76 mm wood faces. Three different GFRP composite materials were used with either clamped or mechanically fastened splice connections. Splice connections with intentional offsets were also tested. The GFRP-reinforced splice connections provided a significant improvement of the tensile capacity for resisting the combined gravity and seismic loads. The rehabilitation method was considered to be successful and it was determined that implementation would reduce the overall seismic vulnerability of the historic structure. As a result, the method was implemented to connect the chord joint splices of the roof arch wood trusses of the structure.