Innovative steel connections for the retrofit of timber floors in ancient buildings: A numerical investigation

This paper deals with the study of an innovative reversible type of connection system for a composite timber beam-concrete slab floor purposely conceived for the application to ancient timber floors. Refined numerical models of different configurations of such a connection system are set-up through the nonlinear code ABAQUS in order to evaluate their performances by means of push-out analyses. The comparison among solutions in terms of strength and stiffness has provided useful indications for the optimization of the system in terms of both geometrical and mechanical characteristics, as well as for its use as reversible intervention for seismic retrofitting purposes.