The solution of timber-to-concrete composite (TCC) floors represents a well-established construction technique, which is consistently used for both the retrofitting of existing timber floors and the realization of new diaphragms. The success of TCC floors relies on the intrinsic effectiveness in increasing both the in-plane (for lateral loads) and the out-of-plane (for gravity loads) performance of existing timber floors. As a widespread retrofit intervention, it is common to use existing floorboards as a permanent formwork for the concrete pouring. Rather few research studies of literature, in this regard, highlighted an overall reduction of load capacity and slip modulus due to the presence of such an interposed interlayer. In this regard, the present paper focuses on the use of screws as efficient mechanical connectors and analyses different configurations and inclination angles for their arrangement. This main goal is achieved by performing parametric Finite Element (FE) numerical analyses, validated on previous experimental tests, in order to specifically investigate the influence of the in-between interlayer, as well as the role of friction phenomena and the influence of the test setup and experimental protocol to achieve the basic mechanical performance indicators.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.