This paper deals with the study of an innovative reversible type of connection system for a composite wooden beam-concrete floor slab purposely conceived for the application to ancient wooden floors. The system consists of a steel sleeve, surrounding the beam and connecting the slab by means of superior wings. A layer of rubber is interposed between the sleeve and the wooden beam, in order to assure the adaptability of the system to the irregular surface of the existing ancient beams. The new connection system has been designed in order to provide an equivalent performance as in case of classical shear connectors. Refined numerical models have been developed by means of the non-linear code for structural calculation ABAQUS. Firstly, the material model calibration has been achieved on the basis of the results of laboratory tests. Therefore the performance of different configurations of the connection system has been evaluated by means of push-out numerical analyses. Finally, 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 of the connection devices, as well as for its use as reversible intervention for the seismic retrofitting of existing wooden floors. © 2006 Civil-Comp Press.

cited By 0; Conference of 8th International Conference on Computational Structures Technology, CST 2006 ; Conference Date: 12 September 2006 Through 15 September 2006; Conference Code:102641