Analysis on mechanical behavior of dovetail mortise-tenon joints with looseness in traditional timber buildings

To study the effect of looseness on mechanical behavior of dovetail mortise-tenon joints, five dovetail mortise-tenon joints, including one intact joint and four loose joints, were fabricated and tested under cycle lateral loadings, and non-linear finite element models using the software ABAQUS were also developed. The effects of looseness on stress distribution, rotational stiffness and bearing capacity of joints were studied based on the analysis of test and simulation results. The results indicate that the hysteretic loops are anti-Z-shaped and present typical characteristics of pinching and slippage, the envelop curves of joints are classified as following two stages: elastic and strengthening stage. The peak stress, rotational stiffness and bearing capacity of joints were reduced due to looseness. The moment-rotation theoretical model of intact joint was simplified in terms of the relation of construction dimensions for buildings, and the moment-rotation theoretical model considering the effect of looseness was proposed and validated.