Multiple Tab-and-Slot Joint : Improvement of the Rotational Stiffness for the Connection of Thin Structural Wood Panels

Researchers in Asia have focused on analyzing the rotational performance of traditional connections based on embedment. The Nuki through-joint has inspired work at the laboratory of wood construction (IBOIS), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, to improve the rotational behavior of the multiple tab and slot joint (MTSJ). In this work, through tenon (TT) and closed slot joints were added to initial dovetail and Nejiri arigata joints used for foldedplate structures. The bending performance of the improved MTSJ-TT joint was higher than that of screwed angular connections. Numerical monitoring of the embedded volumes under partial compression on the contact surfaces was used to characterize the directly and indirectly loaded areas. The decay coefficients for the exponential form, which defined the additional length in the indirectly loaded area, were quantified for both single (SC) and double contact (DC). The evolution of these coefficients was also monitored along the angular deformation. Finally, an analytical formulation of the embedded volumes was provided to prepare an analytical model for the MTSJ-TT joint subjected to bending.