Precast concrete is an advanced construction technique characterised by high precision, quality, optimisation and is increasingly used in commercial and residential buildings. However, connections between precast elements are often constructed using in-situ casting, which can delay projects and complicate disassembly at the end of a structure’s service life. Dry connections, aligned with the principles of manufacture-to-assemble (MTA), offer a practical and sustainable alternative but present significant challenges regarding seismic performance, particularly in earthquake-prone regions. This study addresses these challenges through a comprehensive parametric numerical investigation into the shear capacity of precast walls with dry connections. Using SeismoStruct 2024 software, more than 340 pushover simulations were conducted to evaluate the influence of various parameters, including concrete compressive strength, axial force percentage, wall section height, overall wall height, and connection characteristics such as bar diameter, quantity, and placement. This research provides critical insights into the combined effects of these parameters, identifying optimal configurations to maximise shear capacity, which is a vital factor for seismic performance. Key findings indicate that shear capacity is significantly enhanced by increasing section height, concrete strength, and axial load, with notable gains such as an 84% improvement in shear strength when section height increased from 2 m to 3 m under favourable conditions. Conversely, increasing overall wall height tended to reduce shear capacity, with a 58% decrease observed for walls extending from 1.5 m to 3.5 m. Adjustments in mechanical connections, including larger diameters, increased bar quantities, and optimised placements, further contributed to incremental improvements in shear strength, with increases ranging from 3% to 24%.

The discontinuity of wood fibres at the intersections of beam-column connections poses challenges to the transmission of moments between these elements. Some engineering solutions employ different mechanical principles to solve this problem. For example, the polygonal arrangement of connectors is a widely adopted solution; the connectors are inserted perpendicularly to the bending plane and act in shear. Another example is the lever mechanism, which balances the moment through a torque created by the tension of a metal connector and compression against the wood. An innovative proposal involves reinforced concrete nodes, where the continuity of the bending moment is ensured by glued-in rods anchored in the timber beam and column with structural epoxy resin. Another solution is the pre-stressed connection, where the balancing moment is achieved by adjusting the compressive stresses introduced by the prestress. This work aims to present, classify, and compare these solutions in terms of structural behaviour.

A discussão sobre a importância do conhecimento da resistência à tração perpendicular às fibras para uma melhor compreensão do comportamento mecânico da madeira em diversas situações, tais como na análise de retração, na análise de falhas de peças de madeira laminadas coladas ou na formulação de critérios de resistência para materiais anisotrópicos aplicados à madeira, torna evidente que a investigação dos valores dessas resistências é necessária. Neste trabalho foi avaliada a resistência à tração perpendicular às fibras para as direções radial e tangencial, considerando-se uma amostra de 83 corpos de prova da espécie de madeira Acer saccharinum, comumente conhecida como Sugar Maple. A metodologia usada para o ensaio de tração seguiu a norma americana ASTM D143. Além disso, foi analisada a influência da densidade nos valores de resistência para cada direção. Os modos de ruptura verificados nos corpos de prova nas direções pesquisadas são acompanhados por uma simulação numérica via software Ansys. A partir da análise estatística realizada, pode-se concluir que os resultados experimentais de resistências à tração perpendicular às fibras nas direções radial e tangencial apresentam uma diferença estatística significativa. Observou-se também que a densidade não teve influência estatisticamente relevante nos valores de resistência nas duas direções avaliadas.