Timber structures can effectively be reinforced using externally or internally bonded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. This paper presents numerical analysis of bending behaviour of glulam beams reinforced with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates. Nonlinear 3-dimensional finite element model was developed and validated by experimental tests carried out on beams with CFRP plates strategically located in the tension zone between the bottom two laminations. The numerical analysis was performed using the Explicit solver of commercial software package ABAQUS. Glulam beams were modelled using solid elements, while membrane elements were used for CFRP plates. Suitable constitutive relations for each material were utilised in the model. The theory of anisotropic plasticity was applied to include plastic behaviour of timber laminations in the compression zone. The Hill’s criterion for orthotropic materials was used as a condition for transition to the plastic state. The progressive damage model was introduced to effectively tackle the softening behaviour of wood. Once a damage initiation criterion is satisfied, further loading will cause degradation of material stiffness coefficients. The reduction of the stiffness coefficients is controlled by damage variables that have values between zero (undamaged state) and one (fully damaged state). The evolution of each damage variable is governed by an equivalent displacement. The equivalent displacement for a failure mode is expressed in terms of effective stresses used in the initiation criterion for this failure mode. The failure criterion proposed by Sandhaas and van de Kuilen was selected to quantify damage initiation and propagation. The numerical results have shown good agreement with the experimental results in relation to load-deflection relationship, ultimate load and elastic stiffness. The non-linear behaviour of reinforced beams was achieved in the numerical analysis, confirming the finite element model to be accurate past the linear-elastic range. Experimentally tested reinforced beams mostly failed in the tension zone after compressive plasticization of top laminations, which was also simulated in the numerical model. REFERENCES [1] C. Sandhaas and J.W.G. van de Kuilen. Material model for wood. HERON 58(2/3), 2013. [2] M. Khelifa, S. et. al. Finite element analysis of flexural strengthening of timber beams with carbon fibre-reinforced polymers. Engineering Structures 101:364–375, 2015.