Mechanical Behavior of an Innovative Hybrid Beam Made of Glulam and Ultrahigh-Performance Concrete Reinforced with FRP or Steel

Abstract

The main objective of the research project reported here is to develop a new hybrid glulam beam that will increase the performance of timber structures and optimize the use of wood in such structures. The hybrid beam is made by combining glulam with ultrahigh-performance short fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPC-SFR) planks with or without internal reinforcement consisting of steel- or fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement bars. This paper presents an experimental program of tests on eight large-scale hybrid beams under four-point bending. The results show that by combining wood and UHPC-SFR, it is possible to obtain a hybrid beam with greater bending stiffness and increased ultimate load capacity.