A Fracture mechanical and anisotropic fem model of the "Reconwood Joint" and experimental verification

Contemporary capabilities in timber fabrication have encouraged the advancement of robotic manufacturing and assembly. In this paper, the ReconWoodjoint, a new type of reversible joint conceived for robotic timber assembly is investigated. Thejoint use CNC milled shear-keys to ensure enhanced shear capacity and more ductile behaviour over the conventional dowel-type connection. More specifically, we here establish a method for the modelling and structural analysis of such joint where the complex nature of timber is tackled by using material laws which are readily available in most commercial FE software. The paper presents a hybrid material model using the Hill Criterion in combination with fracture mechanics (CZM) to appropriately describe these behaviours. The material model is implemented in a three-dimensional FEM model to simulate the joint's mechanical behaviour, and a test series is presented to validate the modelling approach. The results show that the model is able to predict the mechanical response with great precision, both in relation to the stiffness, ultimate strength, and failure mode.