Yes / Three-dimensional finite element models were executed and validated to investigate the performance of buried flexible high-density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, in unreinforced and multi-geogrid-reinforced sand beds, while varying pipe burial depth, number of geogrid-layers, and magnitude of applied cyclic loading. Geogrid-layers were simulated considering their geometrical thickness and apertures, where an elasto-plastic constitutive model represented its behaviour. Soil-geogrid load transfer mechanisms due to interlocked soil in-between the apertures of the geogrid-layer were modelled. In unreinforced and reinforced cases, pipe burial depth increase contributed to decreasing deformations of the footing and pipe, and the crown pressure until reaching an optimum value of pipe burial depth. On the contrary, the geogrid-layers strain increased with increasing pipe burial depth. A flexible slab was formed due to the inclusion of two-geogrid-layers, leading to an increase in the strain in the lower geogrid-layer, despite its lower deformation. Inclusion of more than two geogrid-layers formed a heavily reinforced system of higher stiffness, and consequently, strain distribution in the geogrid-layers varied, where the upper layer experienced the maximum strain. In heavily reinforced systems, increasing the amplitude of cyclic loading resulted in a strain redistribution process in the reinforced zone, where the second layer experienced the maximum strain.

Les fils composites nanostructurés et architecturés cuivre-niobium sont de candidats excellents pour la génération de champs magnétiques intenses (>90T); en effet, ces fils allient une limite élastique élevée et une excellente conductivité électrique. Les fils Cu-Nb multi-échelles sont fabriqués par étirage et empaquetage cumulatif (une technique de déformation plastique sévère), conduisant à une microstructure multi-échelle, architecturée et nanostructurée présentant une texture cristallographique de fibres forte et des formes de grains allongées le long de l'axe du fil. Cette thèse présente une étude compréhensive du comportement électrique et élasto-plastique de ce matériau composite, elle est divisée en trois parties: modélisation multi-échelle électrique, élastique et élasto-plastique. Afin d'étudier le lien entre le comportement effective et la microstructure du fil, plusieurs méthodes d'homogénéisation sont appliquées, qui peuvent être séparées en deux types principaux: la méthode en champs moyens et en champs complets. Comme les spécimens présentent plusieurs échelles caractéristiques, plusieurs étapes de transition d'échelle sont effectuées itérativement de l'échelle de grain à la macro-échelle. L'accord général parmi les réponses de modèle permet de suggérer la meilleure stratégie pour estimer de manière fiable le comportement électrique et élasto-plastique des fils Cu-Nb et économiser le temps de calcul. Enfin, les modèles électriques prouvent bien prédire les données expérimentales anisotopique. De plus, les modèles mécaniques sont aussi validés par les données expérimentales ex-situ et in-situ de diffraction des rayons X/neutrons avec un bon accord. / Nanostructured and architectured copper niobium composite wires are excellent candidates for the generation of intense pulsed magnetic fields (>90T) as they combine both high strength and high electrical conductivity. Multi-scaled Cu-Nb wires are fabricated by accumulative drawing and bundling (a severe plastic deformation technique), leading to a multiscale, architectured and nanostructured microstructure exhibiting a strong fiber crystallographic texture and elongated grain shapes along the wire axis. This thesis presents a comprehensive study of the effective electrical and elasto-plastic behavior of this composite material. It is divided into three parts: electrical, elastic and elasto-plastic multiscale modeling. In order to investigate the link between the effective material behavior and the wire microstructure, several homogenization methods are applied which can be separated into two main types: mean-field and full-field theories. As the specimens exhibit many characteristic scales, several scale transition steps are carried out iteratively from the grain scale to the macro-scale. The general agreement among the model responses allows suggesting the best strategy to estimate reliably the effective electrical and elasto-plastic behavior of Cu-Nb wires and save computational time. The electrical models are demonstrated to predict accurately the anisotropic experimental data. Moreover, the mechanical models are also validated by the available ex-situ and in-situ X-ray/neutron diffraction experimental data with a good agreement.

Les contraintes résiduelles, introduites lors de la fabrication des pièces mécaniques, influent sur leur durée de vie en fatigue et doivent donc être prises en compte. Ce travail vise à développer une méthode de dimensionnement rapide en fatigue oligocyclique permettant leur prise en compte, aussi bien sous chargement de traction que de compression. L’idée principale est de calculer analytiquement le cycle stabilisé uniquement au point critique de la structure à l’aide d’une méthode simplifiée en plasticité confinée. Cette dernière est basée sur une loi de localisation, qui étend les méthodes énergétiques de type Neuber au cas général multiaxial. La loi de localisation permet de relier le chargement appliqué à la structure à celui observé localement au point critique. Elle est calibrée à l’aide d’une simulation éléments finis sous chargement monotone de la structure. Pour cela, le comportement élasto-plastique du matériau est d’abord caractérisé à partir d’un essai de traction avec charges-décharges. A l’aide de ce seul essai, la loi de comportement est identifiée de manière séquentielle, en utilisant des écrouissages cinématique et isotrope à seuil. Ce seuil permet d’améliorer la prévision de la contrainte moyenne stabilisée, utilisée dans le critère de fatigue proposé. Ce dernier a été identifié sur des essais purement alterné (Rε=-1), puis validé pour des chargements de traction alternée (Rε>-1) et de compression alternée (Rε<-1). L’application de la démarche en plasticité confinée est réalisée sur des éprouvettes à double encoche présentant initialement différents états de contraintes résiduelles. L’évolution des contraintes locales sous chargement cyclique nominal de traction répétée (Rσ=0) ou de compression répétée (Rσ=-∞) est mesurée. Cette évolution est ensuite comparée aux prévisions numériques et analytiques obtenues à l’aide de la loi de comportement et de la méthode simplifiée. L’application du critère de fatigue aux données stabilisées prévues par les modèles a permis d’obtenir des durées de vie avec un conservatisme indépendant du rapport de charge et de l’état initial. Enfin, une application de la démarche complète sur des joints soudés en T est réalisée afin d’élargir le spectre d’application de la méthode. / Residual stresses are inherent to the manufacturing processes and can have a strong effect on the fatigue life of structures. Therefore, they shall be taken into account in fatigue design. In this PhD thesis, a fast design method is developed to take residual stresses into account in low cycle fatigue, either under tensile or compressive loadings. The main idea is to calculate analytically the stabilised stress-strain curve, at the critical point, by using a simplified method for confined plasticity. This method is based on a localisation law that extends energetic methods like Neuber to general multiaxial stress states. The localization law links the applied load to the local load at the critical point. It has to be identified on a finite element analysis of the structure under monotonic load. For this purpose, the elasto-plastic behaviour of the material is characterised from one single tensile test with loadings-unloadings. The behaviour law, identified sequentially, includes isotropic and kinematic hardenings with thresholds. This improves the stabilised mean stress prediction, which is used in the proposed fatigue criterion to represent the influence of the load ratio on the fatigue life. This criterion is identified on purely alternated tests (Rε=-1), and then validated under various tensile load ratios (Rε>-1) as well as compressive load ratios (Rε<-1). The methodology is validated on plate specimens with two semi-circular notches, which initially present different residual stresses states. The experimental evolution of local stresses during cyclic compressive (Rσ=-∞) and tensile (Rσ=0) repeated applied loads have been studied experimentally and compared to the numerical and analytical predictions. The same work has been achieved on the fatigue lives predictions. It shows that a slight conservatism, independent from the load ratio and the initial state, is obtained. Finally, an application of the method on T-Joints is realised to enlarge the scope of the method.

Neste trabalho são apresentados resultados de ensaios triaxiais convencionais, de compressão confinada e triaxiais com controle de tensão, realizados em amostras saturadas e com controle de sucção, em corpos de prova indeformados coletados ao longo de um perfil típico de solo da cidade de São Carlos - SP. A partir dos dados obtidos, faz-se um estudo do comportamento de deformação e resistência do solo, em condições não saturadas, ao longo de todo perfil amostrado. Para o solo residual de arenito realiza-se também um estudo das suas principais características de elastoplasticidade, para a condição saturada e para o caso dos ensaios realizados com controle de sucção. Mostra-se que as superfícies de plastificação obtidas para o solo podem ser ajustadas de modo razoável pela superfície de escoamento do Cam-Clay modificado, utilizada nos modelos de Alonso et al. (1990) e Balmaceda et al. (1992). Para esta superfície, o uso de uma lei de fluxo associada conduziu a resultados satisfatórios. Um modelo constitutivo é proposto para representação do comportamento do solo em condições não saturadas. Uma nova superfície de plastificação e uma nova lei de fluxo (não associada) são propostas para o solo, conseguindo-se uma melhor previsão dos pontos de escoamento situados à esquerda da projeção da linha de estados críticos e diminuindo-se os valores dos desvios angulares dos vetores de incrementos de deformação plástica. No modelo constitutivo proposto neste trabalho, a superfície de escoamento LC do solo é obtida levando-se em consideração não somente os valores da pressão de pré-adensamento, mas também os valores de &#947(s). Os modelos constitutivos proposto e de Balmaceda et al. (1992) são utilizados na simulação dos ensaios de laboratório, obtendo-se bons resultados. Com o uso dos parâmetros adotados para a simulação dos ensaios de laboratório são realizadas previsões do comportamento de estruturas de fundação em campo, obtendo-se resultados satisfatórios. / This thesis deals with the application of elasto-plastic concepts to a typical non saturated soil from São Carlos - SP. The soil profile analysed is composed at is upper part of a sandy soil of coluvium origin and of a residual soil from sandstone at depths larger than 8 m. The water level is at a depth of about 10 m. The experimental work included compression triaxial tests following different stress paths and confined compression tests performed both on saturated and on unsaturated specimens. In the case of the residual soil of sandstone, its main elastoplastic characteristics are studied. It is shown that yield points can be fairly fitted by the yield surface proposed by of Alonso et al. (1990) and Balmaceda et al. (1992), which are an extension of modified Cam-Clay yield surface. In this case, an associated flow law also gave reasonable results in reproducing experimental data. In order to get a better adjustment between experimental and theoretical results, a new constitutive model is proposed using a new yield surface and a non associated flow law. It is shown that this new yield surface can better adjust experimental yield points, mainly those located at left of the critical state line (C.S.L.) and the new flow rule leaded to lower deviation of incremental plastic strain vectors. In the proposed model, the yield surface LC is obtained considering both &#947(s) and po experimental values. The proposed and Balmaceda et al. (1992) models were utilised to predict the laboratory soil behaviour, showing good results. The parameters already used to reproduce laboratory tests were also used to model foundation structures built in the soil studied and a fair agreement between experimental and predict results was obtained.

O presente trabalho de pesquisa aborda a aplicação de análise por elementos finitos a maciços escavados por túneis, revisando relevantes estudos sobre análise numérica deste tipo de obra e realizando modelagem numérica própria, bi e tridimensional, voltada ao caso do Túnel Paraíso do Metrô de São Paulo (obra com dados de instrumentação e de ensaios), com uso do consagrado programa de elementos finitos Imperial College Finite Element Program (ICFEP), desenvolvido nos últimos trinta anos no Imperial College de Londres. Dentre os modelos constitutivos adotados nestas análises, destaca-se o Cinemático com Duas Superfícies Modificado do Imperial College, modelo elasto-plástico com endurecimento cinemático e isotrópico, baseado no estado crítico, com grande capacidade de representar as características de rigidez de argilas sobreadensadas (como são as argilas da região do Túnel Paraíso), cujas principais características são levantadas através de revisão bibliográfica. Da observação da etapa de reprodução numérica de ensaios e dos resultados conseguidos com as análises da escavação do túnel, são feitas considerações sobre o desempenho de todos os modelos constitutivos adotados (além do Cinemático com Duas Superfícies Modificado, o Cam-Clay Modificado e o elasto perfeitamente plástico com critério de ruptura de Mohr-Coloumb), bem como sobre a performance dos modelos numéricos desenvolvidos. / This research approaches the application of finite element analysis to tunnel excavation, making a survey of some numerical relevant studies of this kind of construction and performing a range of plane-strain and three-dimensional analyses, focused on the Paraíso Tunnel from Sao Paulo Underground (with field instrumentation and lab tests), using a powerful finite element program, the Imperial College Finite Element Program (ICFEP), developed in the last thirty years at Imperial College London. Among the constitutive models adopted in those analyses, it is highlighted the Modified Two Surfaces Kinematic from Imperial College, a elasto-plastic model with kinematic and isotropic hardening, based on the critical state, with great ability to represent the pre-failure stiffness of overconsolidated clays (as are the clays around Paraíso Tunnel), whose main features are raised through a literature survey. From the results of numerical simulation of lab tests and from the predictions of the tunnelling analyses, it is discussed the performance of all constitutive models adopted (including Modified Cam-Clay and elastic perfectly plastic model with Mohr-Coloumb failure criterion) and of the numerical models developed.

Elementos estruturais como as placas finas fazem parte de um grande número de aplicações nas mais diversas áreas da engenharia e são de grande importância para a engenharia naval e aeronáutica, na construção de cascos de embarcações e estruturas offshore, e na construção de fuselagens de aviões. Por constituírem-se em um elemento estrutural esbelto, estão sujeitas a um comportamento mecânico diferenciado denominado de flambagem, proveniente de um carregamento de compressão uniaxial. O fenômeno da flambagem pode ser dividido em flambagem elástica e elasto-plástica, sendo dependente de aspectos dimensionais, construtivos e/ou operacionais. A inclusão de perfurações em placas provoca uma redistribuição de suas tensões internas, afetando não apenas a sua resistência, mas também as suas características de flambagem. Neste trabalho, desenvolveu-se a análise do comportamento mecânico de placas finas perfuradas de aço, simplesmente apoiadas em suas bordas, e submetidas à compressão. Serão analisados dois graus de liberdade: H/L e H0/L0. Para H/L, serão analisadas placas com H/L = 1,00 e H/L = 0,50, sendo que H e L representam, respectivamente, a largura e o comprimento da placa. Para H0/L0, serão analisadas infinitas possibilidades, sendo que H0 e L0 representam, respectivamente, a largura e o comprimento da perfuração. As placas utilizadas possuem espessura (h) de 10,00 mm e perfuração centralizada. Quanto às perfurações, estas serão dos tipos: oblonga longitudinal, oblonga transversal, elíptica, retangular, losangular, hexagonal longitudinal e hexagonal transversal. Ainda em relação às perfurações, serão consideradas as seguintes frações ϕ = 0,08; 0,10; 0,15; 0,20 e 0,25, sendo que (ϕ) corresponde ao volume da perfuração. Para a determinação das cargas crítica e última de flambagem, foi utilizada a simulação numérica com o auxílio do software Ansys®, que é baseado no método dos elementos finitos. A aplicação do método Design Construtal, possibilitou a determinação das geometrias ótimas para todos os tipos de perfurações, todos os valores de (ϕ) e para todas as relações de H/L. Os resultados obtidos mostram que há influência do tipo, da forma e do tamanho da perfuração na definição das curvas limites à flambagem e das curvas à flambagem elasto-plástica. Foi possível definir, para cada tipo de perfuração e para todos os valores de (ϕ), os pontos de transição entre a flambagem elástica e à elasto-plástica, assim como os pontos que definem os valores máximos para o fator TLNMáx (tensão limite normalizadora). / Structural elements such as thin plates are part of a large number of applications in various areas of engineering and are of great importance for marine and aerospace engineering, construction and offshore structures hulls, and the construction of airplane fuselages. Being a slender structural element, they are subject to a different mechanical behavior known as buckling, caused by a compressive loading. The phenomenon of buckling can be divided in elastic and elasto-plastic buckling, being dependent dimensional, construction and / or operational aspects. The inclusion of perforations in plates causes a redistribution of its internal stress, affecting not only their resistance but also their buckling characteristics. In this work it was performed the analysis of the mechanical behavior of thin perforated steel plates, simply supported on its edges, and subjected to compression. In the analysis it was considered two degrees of freedom: H/L and H0/L0. For H/L will be analyzed plates with H/L = 1.00 and H/L = 0.50, wherein H and L represent respectively the width and length of the plate. There are endless possibilities for the relation H0/L0. The studied plates have a thickness (h) of 10.00 mm and centralized perforation. The following types of perforation will be used: longitudinal oblong, transverse oblong, elliptical, rectangular, diamond, longitudinal hexagonal and transverse hexagonal. Also in relation to perforations, it will be considered the following fractions (ϕ = 0.08; 0.10; 0.15; 0.20 and 0.25), wherein (ϕ) corresponds to the volume ratio of the perforation. For determining the critical and ultimate buckling loads it was utilized numerical simulation with the assistance of Ansys® software, which is based on the finite element method. The application of the Constructal Design method of this study made it possible to determine the optimal geometries for all types of perforations, for all values of (ϕ) and all the relations H/L. The results show that there is an influence of the perforation type, shape and size, in defining the limit curves of the buckling and the curves of the elasto-plastic buckling. It was also possible to define, for each type of perforation and for all (ϕ) values, the transition points between elastic and elasto-plastic buckling; as well as the points that define the maximum values for the TLNMáx factor (normalized limit stress).

Un grand nombre de systèmes thermomécaniques industriels se trouve confronté à des régimes transitoires plus ou moins rapides suivant la fréquence de fonctionnement. L'amélioration de leurs performances nécessite l'utilisation de nouvelles structures du type multimatériaux ou barrière thermique. En effet, ces matériaux peuvent être de type multicouche en associant plusieurs couches rangées de façon à améliorer le comportement mécanique et thermique d’un système ou alors constitués d’un substrat revêtu d’une succession de couches minces obtenues par projection thermique par exemple.Dans un système donné, ces matériaux subissent généralement des sollicitations cycliques qui peuvent être d’origine thermique et/ou mécanique. Il est donc nécessaire de mieux connaître leur comportement thermomécanique en régimes élastique et plastique. Ainsi, l'étude présentée dans ce travail, limitée ici à des conditions périodiques uniquement d’origine thermique, traite de l'évolution de l'endommagement d'un matériau sous une ou plusieurs formes de fatigue thermique.L'origine de la sollicitation imposée provient d'une condition de flux périodique (sous forme d’échelon, de triangle ou de sinus) prenant en compte les pertes par convection. Sur le plan mécanique, le matériau est supposé fixe sur l’une de ses deux extrémités et libre de se déformer sur l’autre. Les contraintes et les déformations mécaniques dans le matériau proviennent essentiellement des différences des coefficients de dilatation thermique et des gradients de température dans le matériau. La nature variable et transitoire du comportement thermique du matériau permet de suivre l’évolution de la distribution des contraintes et des déformations au sein du matériau.L’étude de son endommagement est menée selon les cas, soit sur des modèles établis directement à partir du comportement thermo élastique soit sur des modèles nécessitant l’étude thermo-élastoplastique. Dans les deux cas, comme la plupart des modèles d’endommagement (Lemaître et Chaboche) rencontrés dans la littérature ne sont valides que sur des matériaux uniformes et homogènes, une recherche de matériau équivalent du multi-matériau étudié était nécessaire. L’équivalence entre le matériau réel et le matériau équivalent repose sur un critère d’équivalence thermique. Les modèles étudiés fournissent dans les deux cas, l'évolution de l'endommagement du matériau, en fonction des paramètres géométriques et aussi de la forme des sollicitations thermiques imposées telles que le coefficient d'échange par convection, l’amplitude et la période du flux imposé.Une application de ces modèles sur un exemple de moteur à combustion interne est proposée à la fin de ce mémoire. Elle montre une prédiction du nombre de cycles (durée de vie) du cylindre moteur en fonction des conditions de fonctionnement utilisées. / A great number of industrial thermo-mechanical systems are facing today transitory regimes with different speeds according to the functioning frequencies. Enhancing their performance imposes the use of new materials of different types; multimaterials is a good example. In fact, these new materials may be constituted of different layers where the layers are associated together in a way to enhance the mechanical and thermal behavior of the system. They may be also constituted of a substrate dressed by a succession of slim layers obtained by thermal projection.In a given system, the constituting materials are generally subject to cyclic thermal or mechanical solicitations. It is very important to know at best their thermomechanical behavior in elastic and plastic regimes. Therefore, the study done during this thesis work, limited here uniquely to periodical solicitations resulting from thermal sources, deals with the evolution of the damage of these materials under multiple forms of thermal fatigue in plastic and elastic functioning regimes.The imposed solicitations are obtained from a periodical thermal source (rectangular, triangular and sinusoidal form). The thermal loss resulting from the convection is also considered. On the mechanical side, the material is considered fixed on one of its extremities and free on the other one (subject to strain). The mechanical stress and strain in the material come essentially from the differences between the coefficients of thermal dilation and the gradient of temperature in the material. The transitory and variable thermal behavior of the material permits to track the evolution and the distribution of the stress and strain in the material.The study of the damage is performed according the given case, either using models directly established from the thermomechanical elastic behavior, or using models that need a thermo-elastoplastic study. In the two cases, and because the majority of damage models (Lemaître and Chaboche) seen in the literature are valid and can be applied only to uniform and homogeneous materials, a research of an equivalent material to the studied multi-material was necessary. The equivalency between the real material and the equivalent one is based mainly on thermal equivalent criteria. The study provides in the two cases the damage evolution in the multimaterial function of the geometric parameters, depending on the form of the imposed thermal solicitations such as the heat transfer coefficient, the amplitude, the period and the shape of the imposed thermal flow.An application of these models to an internal combustion engine is proposed at the end of this thesis. It gives a prediction of the number of cycles (lifetime) of the cylinder of the engine depending on the used functioning conditions.

The deformation behaviour and twinning mechanisms of commercially pure titanium alloys were investigated using complementary diffraction techniques and crystal plasticity modelling. The main motivation for conducting this investigation was to improve understanding of the deformation of titanium to help achieve the long term aim of reducing manufacturing and design costs. The deformation behaviour was characterised with tension, compression and channel die compression tests for three important variables: orientation; temperature from 25 C to 600 C; and composition for two contrasting alloys, CP-G1 and CP-G4. The experimental data used to characterise the behaviour and determine the mechanisms causing it were: textures determined by X-ray diffraction; twin area fractions for individual modes determined using electron back-scatter diffraction; and lattice strains measured by neutron diffraction. A strong effect of the orientation–stress state conditions on the flow curves (flow stress anisotropy) was found. The propensity for prism hai slip was the dominant cause of the behaviour – samples that were more favourably oriented for prism hai slip had lower flow stresses. Twinning was the most significant secondary deformation mode in the CP-G1 alloy but only had a minor effect on flow stress anisotropy in most cases. In the CP-G4 alloy twinning generally did not play a significant role indicating that hc + ai slip modes were significant in this alloy. Differences in the flow stress anisotropy between the two alloys were found to occur largely in the elasto-plastic transition and initial period of hardening. Modelling results indicated that larger relative resolved shear stress values for secondary deformation modes in the higher purity alloy increased the initial anisotropy. Decreasing flow stresses with increasing temperature were largely caused by a decrease in the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) values for slip, but also by a decrease in the Hall-Petch parameter for slip. The propagation of twinning was found to be orientation dependent through a Schmid law in a similar way to slip – it was activated at a CRSS and hardened so that an increasing resolved shear stress was required for it to continue operating. The CRSS values determined for the individual twin modes were – 65MPa, 180MPa, 83MPa for {1012}, {1122} and {1011} twinning, respectively. Further, twinning was found to be temperature insensitive except when the ability to nucleate twins posed a significant barrier (for {1011} twinning). Also, the CRSS for {1012} twinning was clearly shown to increase with decreasing alloy purity. A thorough method for determining crystal plasticity modelling parameters based on experimental data was formulated. Additionally, twinning was modelled in a physically realistic manner influenced by the present findings using the visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) model. In particular: the activity of twinning decreased in a natural way due to greater difficulty in its operation rather than through an enforced saturation; and hardening or softening due to changes in orientation and dynamic Hall-Petch hardening were important. The rigorous modelling procedure gave great confidence in the key experimental findings.

A general procedure for the evaluation of the mechanical properties of structural joints, named component method, is now available from intensive research works at the European level. This procedure allows the analytical prediction of the resistance, but also of the stiffness and the deformation capacity, of structural joints under external forces (axial or shear forces, bending moments ). The component method is nowadays integrated as a reference procedure in two European design codes, respectively for steel structures (EC3 [EN1993]) and steel-concrete composite structures (EC4 [EN1994]). However, its potential scope is much larger and present studies are aimed to apply to situations as joints in fire, joints under seismic loading, joints under exceptional loads (Robustness Project) . More recently, a research project [CTI-2004] has succeeded in applying the component method to the investigation of the elastic behaviour of mechanical joints in timber construction. That is the result of the collaboration of CTIB-TCHN (Belgian Institute for Wood Technology) and University of Liège. The main principle of the component method is the following: identification of constitutive components subjected to tension, compression or shear in the joint; determination of the mechanical behaviour of these individual components; "assembling" components so as to derive the mechanical properties of the whole joint. In the present paper, timber joints with dowel fasteners are considered. Two components may be identified: "dowel" component (dowel fastener in bending and shear); embedding component (timber member in embedding). The "dowel" component is known from past researches, whereas little information is available for the embedding component. EC5 [EN1995] proposes formulation to predict the behaviour for joints composed of these two components; but it only depends on two factors: the dowel diameter and the timber density. The influence probably significant of the grain direction (material strongly anisotropy) and the thickness of the connected members are for instance neglected. Experimental, numerical and analytical investigations have recently been performed by University of Liège in collaboration with CTIB-TCHN so as to propose another formulation more precise for joints. Experimental results, performed by CTIB-TCHN, have been used as reference for the development of numerical model and, then, analytical model. The application of the component method to the prediction of the elastic behaviour of timber joints consist of two steps: "local" investigation on components that is to develop analytical models for the prediction of the elastic behaviour of components; "global" investigation on joints that is to develop analytical models for the prediction of the elastic behaviour of joints. The application of the component method to timber joints with dowel fasteners is a first step towards the use of this concept in future to others mechanical joints (screw, punched metal plate, nail, bolt ). In this case, others components may be derived to cover the field of application expected.

No description available.