Experimental and Finite Element Method (FEM) of Dowelled Mortise and Tenon Joint for Kapur Species

Kapur (Dryobalanops spp.) is one of the Malaysian common species used for structural construction material. It is capable of serving as a beam and column. This study focused on the experimental mortise and tenon connection fastened with wood; glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP), and steel dowel. The finite element method (FEM) was used to model the behaviour of mortise and tenon joint for wood dowel subjected to pull-out loads using ABAQUS software. The experimental results were used to validate a three dimensional finite element model of mortise and tenon joint. The full structural scale ofmortise and tenon was fastened with a 21 mm diameter dowel. The investigation was carried out by applying tensile loads to the top of the tenon. This study adopted a linear elastic orthotropic material to represent the Kapur wood behaviour using the FEM. In this study, the results reveal the load carrying capacity of the mortise and tenon in a sequence of highest to the lowest is when the joint dowelled with GFRP, steel and wood. The stiffness value obtained from the FEM for wood dowel is found higher than the experimental value. Thus, the findings from finite element method (FEM) and the experimental results both had slightly dissimilar load–displacement curve shape. However, this study contributes to a better knowledge of mortise and tenon performance when secured with a wood dowel.