Numerical Investigation of an LVL-Aluminium Hybrid Beam

The use of hybrid and composite structural systems has significantly increased worldwide during the last decades. The main advantage of these systems is that they combine different materials with complementary properties thus creating structural elements with improved characteristics and performance. The aim of this paper is to examine the structural properties of an LVL-aluminium hybrid beam using finite element parametric analysis. The hybrid beam under investigation consists of an aluminium beam that it is connected to an upper laminated veneer lumber (LVL) part by means of bolts. The three-dimensional numerical model has been validated against the results of the experimental campaign by Chybiński and Polus where a four-point bending test of the same beam is examined [1]. The numerical modal shares the same geometry, material properties, constraints, and loading pattern as the experiment. Additionally, the effects of the thickness of the LVL part, the number of the bolts and the thickness of the web of the aluminium beam on the structural behavior of the hybrid beam have also been investigated. Overall, the numerical simulation has been found to represent, with good accuracy, the structural behaviour of the hybrid beam under study.