Preliminary study on wire prestressing methods for timber pieces reinforcement

•Anchorages of prestressing wires in timber may be achieved with gluing.•Glued anchorages are not suitable for outer (sun exposed) uses.•Anchorage with nuts are suitable and allow for controlled (re)-tightening.•All the systems show a potential for use with long or short (mass-production) elements.

The possibility of improving the bending strength of timber beams through prestress is discussed. Different prestressing and anchoring procedures are investigated: (i) post-tension, with mechanical anchorage on the ends of the wood elements; (ii) pre-tension, with the anchorages being either mechanical, as in the previous system, or glued, with the force being gradually transferred through shear stresses along a certain length of the wire/wood interface. The main conclusion is that any of the procedures may be advantageously used with either small (mass-production) or long glued-laminated timber beams, as a possible alternative to CFRP reinforced beams.