STRENGTH OF BOLTED JOINTS IN FERROCEMENT

An investigation into the behavior and strength of single-hole bolted joints inferrocement is reported. Tests were conducted on 64 joints in the form of symmetric butt splices with edge distance, bolt diameter, mortar strength, volume fraction of reinforcement, and width and thickness of the ferrocement plate as the major parameters. Test results indicate that failure in the plate material may occur in four different modes, labeled as cleavage, shear, tension, and bearing, depending on the relative proportion of various parameters as discussed Also presented in this paper is a method to calculate the ultimate strength of such a joint. A comparison of the present test results with theoretical predictions shows good agreement.