Single-sided punched metal plate fasteners have been used in construction industry for a few decades. However, its double-sided version is relatively new and is increasingly attracting more users due to its advantages on fire resistance and aesthetics. Owing to complex nature of such fastener, limited research has been undertaken up to date. In this paper, a finite element method-based inverse modelling technique was developed for optimization analyses of a prototype double-sided fastener. The non-unique nature of inverse model solutions makes assessment of model sensitivity to input material properties imperatively. This paper uses validated numerical models for sensitivity analysis of joint modelling output. Joint stiffness is most sensitive to wood elastic moduli. Ultimate strength is significantly influenced by steel yield strength and wood embedding strength and shear strength. The coefficient of friction, steel yield strength, wood shear and embedding strengths have significant effects on joint slip.
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