Experimental study of static and fatigue strengths of pultruded GFRP rods bonded into LVL and glulam

Glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) pultruded rods were bonded into LVL and glulam cubes with room temperature cured epoxy resin in two glue-line thicknesses (2 and 4 mm). The strength properties were investigated under static and tension–tension (R=+0.1) fatigue loading. Also, the effect of rate of loading was assessed in a rate of force application range from 0.01 to 35 kN/s in three glue-lines thicknesses (0.5, 2 and 4 mm). The results demonstrate that the fatigue life increases as the peak dynamic load is reduced as expected. Better static strength is measured for 4 mm glue-lines than for 0.5 and 2 mm glue-lines at lower rates of loading, but a reduction in strength at higher rates is observed for 4 and 2 mm glue-lines. Glue-line thickness and rate of loading dictate the mode of failure observed including failure in timber, failure at the resin–rod interface and a mixed failure mode.