SEMI-RIGID STC BEAM-TO-COLUMN JOINTS: REVIEW, FUTURE PERSPECTIVES AND NEEDS

The combination of steel and timber in the form of composite structures (STC) has emerged
in the past decade, benefiting from the “new” performant engineered wood products (EWPs) and their environmental-friendly character to reduce carbon footprint of the construction industry. Though STC solutions are promising and can be already found in the literature, the available know-how is yet limited, e. g. not expressed in design codes, and its use in actual projects scarce. Like in more traditional solutions, such as bare steel or steel-concrete composite, the joints at the extremities of the STC beam can play a key role in the structural response. In this paper, a review on the investigated joint solutions available in the literature is first provided, identifying the different configurations, characterizing their mechanical behaviour and identifying the “common” failure mechanisms. After, in the perspective of
the extension of the component method for the design of STC beam-to-column joints, the joint components are discussed with particular attention for those involving EWPs in the load transfer mechanics not yet covered by the normative documents,. Then, based on the identified gaps and on the challenges of a construction sector requiring the transition to a circular economy, the future perspectives and needs are exposed.