Example Problems on Timber-Structures

1)Design a tension member of roof truss made of zigba-timber subjected to a service design
tensile force of T  60 kN mainly caused by short-term loading on truss. The member is
connected at the joint by two-lines of 16mm diameter bolts. Assume roof truss as indoor-
structure (dry condition of moisture).
Solution
-Allowable tensile stress of timber made of Zigba from table
Ft ||  2.5 N mm 2
-Correction factors: -for stress (due to moisture condition)  1.2
-for load (due to duration of load)  0.8
-Allowable tensile stress and design tension load after correction,
Ft ||  1.2  2.5 N mm 2  3 N mm 2
T  0.8  60  48 kN
-required net-area of tension member,
T 48  10 3
An    16000 mm 2
Ft || 3
-For bolted connection, the required gross-area,
A 16000
Ag  n   20000 mm 2
0.8 0 .8
-If thickness of member is t  80 mm , the required width of member
Ag 20000
b    250 mm
t 80
-1st Trial: t x b = 80mm x 250mm

b  250 mm

t  80 mm

-diameter of bolt hole, d  d b  1.5mm  16  1.5  17.5 mm

-check adequacy of trial section assuming two lines of 16mm diameter bolts!

An  Ag  2 ( d . t )  80  250  2  (17.5  80)  17200 mm 2  An ( req.)  16000 mm 2

ok!
-therefore, 80mm x 250mm zigba timber can be used

2)A diagonal member of a truss-rafter is subjected to a service design compressive force of

P  78 kN mainly caused by long-term loading on truss. Unsupported length of member is
l u  3.15 m . Design a member using square cross-section made of zigba-timber. Assume
member as part indoor-structure (dry condition of moisture).
Solution
-Allowable compressive stress and elastic modulus of timber made of Zigba from table

1
 Fc ||  4 N mm 2 & Etimber  6000 N mm 2
-Correction factors: -for stress (due to moisture condition)  1.2
-for load (due to duration of load)  1.2
-Allowable compressive stress and design compressive load after correction,
Fc ||  1.2  4 N mm 2  4.8 N mm 2
P  1.2  78  93.6 kN
-slenderness ratio dividing long and intermediate column,
0.45 Etimber 0.45  6000
Kc    23.717
Fc || 4.8
- Trial area of compression member assuming column as short (lu b  11) ,
P 93.6  103
A( req .)    19500 mm 2
Fc || 4.8
-For square column section, b  A( req .)  19500  139.6 mm --take
 b  140 mm
-1st Trial: b x b = 140mm x 140mm & lu  3.15 m
l 3150
-slenderness ratio of trial section, u   22.5  11  it is
b 140
intermediate column!
 K c  23.717
-check adequacy of trial section as intermediate column!

 1 l b 
4
 22.5  
4

   4.8  1   
P 1
fc   Fc || 1    u     3.504 N mm 2
A  3  K c    3  23.717  
 
93.6  103
 fc   4.776 N mm 2  3.504 N mm 2  trial section is not
140  140
adequate!
-2nd Trial: b x b = 160mm x 160mm & lu  3.15 m
l 3150
-slenderness ratio of trial section, u   19.6875  11  it is intermediate
b 160
column!
 K c  23.717
-check adequacy of trial section as intermediate column!

 1  lu b  
4
 19.6875  
4

   4.8  1   
P 1
fc   Fc || 1       4.04 N mm2
A  3  K c   
 3  23.717  
 
93.6  103
 fc   3.656 N mm 2  4.04 N mm 2  trial section is adequate!
160  160

-therefore, 160mm x 160mm zigba timber can be used

2
3)Design a rectangular timber-beam simply supported with span of 5m to carry a service design
uniform load of 8 kN m (including own weight) mainly caused by long-term loading. Assume
the beam part of out-door structure (moist condition of moisture).
Allowable stresses of timber used by beam are:
Fb ||  10 N mm 2 , Fc   1.2 N mm 2 , Fs ||  0.825 N mm 2 , and
E timber  11000 N mm 2
Solution
-Correction factors: -for stress (due to moisture condition)  1.0
-for load (due to duration of load)  1.2
-Allowable stresses and design load of beam after correction,
Fb ||  10 N mm 2 , Fc   1.2 N mm 2 , and Fs ||  0.825 N mm 2
qd  1.2  8  9.6 kN m
-Analysis of simply supported beam, qd  9.6 kN m

q .l 2
9.6  5 2
M max  d   30 kN  m
8 8
l  5m
qd . l 9.6  5
Vmax    24 kN
2 2
a) Design for flexure
-Assuming depth of beam less than 300mm, no correction for Fb || due to depth factor
-then, required section modulus of beam,
M 30  106
S x ( req.)    3  106 mm3
Fb || 10
Ix b . d 3 12 b.d 2
-For rectangular section, S x   
d  300 mm
cy d 2 6
-and, equating with required section modulus,
b.d 2
 3  106 mm 3 b  200 mm
6
 b . d 2  18  106 mm3 (*)

 50mm
-Minimum width of beam,  bmin  
l 50  5000 50 100mm
-using width of beam b=200mm, depth of beam required by flexure from Eq.(*)
18  106
d   300 mm (as assumed)
200
-therefore, b x d = 200mm x 300mm is required by flexure.
b) Check for shear
V.Q V .  ( A. y )
fs    Fs ||
Ix . b Ix . b
-For rectangular section,
3V
fs   Fs ||  0.825 N mm 2
2b. d

3
 3  24  103
 fs   0.6 N mm 2  Fs ||  0.825 N mm 2 --ok!
2  200  300
c) Check for deflection
-using design load without correction assuming beam supporting partition wall,
5qd . l 4 l 5000
 max    allow    13.89 mm
384 E . I x 360 360
5  8  50004
  max   13.15 mm   allow  13.89 mm
384  11000  (200  3003 / 12)
--ok!
d) Required length of bearing of support-reaction
q .l 9.6  5
Rxn  d   24 kN
2 2
-then, the required area bearing of support of beam is obtained by limiting bearing stress
between end of beam and bearing support to the allowable bearing capacity of timber as
R
f p  xn  Fc   1.2 N mm 2
Ap

Rxn 24  103
 Ap    20000 mm2
Fc  1.2
-with b=200mm, the required length of bearing of support reaction
A 20000
lbearing  p   100 mm  75 mm
b 200
-therefore, lbearing  100 mm d  300 mm

lbearing  100 mm
4)Design floor-slab and floor-beam for floor-slab system as shown below using timber-lumber.
Floor-slab support dead load of 2 kN m (including own weight) and live load of 2 kN m .
2 2

Assume own weight of floor-beam is about 0.5 kN m . Floor-beam spaced 3m c/c and simply
supported on span of 5m. For design of floor-slab, consider strip of slab of 1m width simply
supported on floor-beam. Floor-beam and floor-slab are indoor-structure (dry condition of
moisture). Allowable stresses of timber used by beam are:
Fb ||  10 N mm 2 , Fc   1.2 N mm 2 , Fs ||  0.825 N mm 2 , and
E timber  11000 N mm 2

3m 3m

Solution
-Correction factors: -for stress (due to moisture condition)  1.2

4
 1.2 for dead load
-for load (due to duration of load)  
1.0 for live load
-Allowable stresses after correction,
Fb ||  1.2  10  12 N mm 2 , Fc   1.2  1.2  1.44 N mm 2 , and
Fs ||  1.2  0.825  0.99 N mm 2

a) Design of floor-slab
-Assume floor-slab simply supported one-way slab over floor-beam.
Load on slab of unit width

qd 1.2  2 kN m 2  1m  1.0  2 kN m 2  1m  4.4 kN m ( with correction )

or qd  2 kN m 2  1m  2 kN m 2  1m  4.0 kN m ( without correction)

-Design moment and shear force of simply supported slab,
qd . l 2 4.4  32
M max    4.95 kN  m
8 8 qd (slab)
q .l 4.4  3
Vmax  d   6.6 kN
2 2
i) Design for flexure l ( slab)  3 m
-required section modulus of slab,
M 4.95  106
S x ( req .)    412.5  103 mm 3
Fb || 12
-and, equating with required section modulus of rectangular section of unit width,
2 2
b .ts 1000  t s
  412.5  103 mm 3
6 6
6  412.5  103 t s  50 mm
 ts   49.75 mm --take
1000
ii) Check thickness for shear
3V 3  6.6  103
fs    0.198 N mm 2  Fs ||  0.99 N mm 2
2 b . ts 2  1000  50
--ok!
iii) Check thickness for deflection (for load without correction)
5qd . l 4 5  4  30004 l 3000
 max    36.8 mm   allow   
384 E . I x 384  11000  (1000  50 / 12)
3
360 360
-therefore, thickness of slab required by flexure is not adequate for deflection. Increase
thickness of slab proportionally!
t s ( req .)  3
36.8 / 8.33  50 mm  82 mm
-Try t s  90 mm and check deflection of slab!

5
 5qd . l 4 5  4  3000 4
 max    6.31 mm   allow  8.33 mm
384 E . I x 384  11000  (1000  903 / 12)
--ok!
-therefore, use thickness of slab t s  90 mm

b) Design of floor-beam
Load on floor-beam (own weight of beam 0.5kN/m)

qd 1.2  2 kN m 2  3m  1.0  2 kN m 2  3m 1.2  0.5 kN m  13.8 kN m ( with correction)

or
qd  2 kN m 2  3m  2 kN m2  3m  0.5 kN m  12.5 kN m ( without correction )
-Design moment and shear force of simply supported slab, qd (beam)
qd . l 2 13.8  52
M max    43.125 kN  m
8 8
q .l 13.8  5 l (beam)  5 m
Vmax  d   34.5 kN
2 2
i) Design for flexure (assuming depth of beam less than 300mm)
-required section modulus of beam,
M 43.125  106
S x ( req.)    3593.75  103 mm 3
Fb || 12
-and, equating with required section modulus of rectangular section,
2
b .ts
 3593.75  103 mm 3
6
 b . d 2  21562.5  103 mm3 (*)

 50mm
-Minimum width of beam,  bmin  
l 50  5000 50 100mm
-using width of beam b=200mm, depth of beam required by flexure from Eq.(*)
21562.5  103
d   328.3 mm  300 mm --take  d  330 mm
200
-Since d>300mm, Fb |||   300 / 330  12  11 .87 N mm 2
1/ 9

-check again
M 6M 6  43.125  10 6
fb     11 .87 N mm2  Fb |||  11 .87 N mm 2
Sx b. d 2 200  330 2
-therefore, use b x d = 200mm x 330mm beam section
ii) Check thickness for shear
3V 3  34.5  103
fs    0.784 N mm 2  Fs ||  0.99 N mm 2
2b. d 2  200  330
--ok!

6
 iii) Check thickness for deflection (for load without correction)
5qd . l 4 5  12.5  50004 l 5000
 max    15.44 mm   allow  
384 E . I x 384  11000  (200  330 / 12)3
360 360
-therefore, depth of beam required by flexure is not adequate for deflection. Increase
depth of beam proportionally!
d ( req .)  3
15.44 / 13.89  330 mm  341.8 mm
-Try d  350 mm and check deflection of beam!

5qd . l 4 5  12.5  50004

 max    12.94 mm   allow  13.89 mm
384 E . I x 384  11000  ( 200  3503 / 12)
--ok!
-therefore, beam section required is b x d = 200mm x 350mm
iv) Required length of bearing of support-reaction
q .l 13.8  5
Rxn  d   34.5 kN
2 2
-then, the required area bearing of support of beam is obtained by limiting bearing stress
between end of beam and bearing support to the allowable bearing capacity of timber as
Rxn
fp   Fc   1.44 N mm 2
Ap

Rxn 34.5  103

 Ap    23958.3 mm2
Fc  1.44
-with b=200mm, the required length of bearing of support reaction
Ap 23958.3
lbearing    119 .79 mm  75 mm
b 200
-therefore, lbearing  120 mm

Exercise Problems
1) Design a simply supported timber-beam with span of 3.6m supporting a uniform dead load of
1.1 kN m (including own weight) and uniform live load of 0.9 kN m . Proportion the
beam using rectangular section made of zigba-timber. Assume beam as part of indoor-structure
(dry condition of moisture). DL  1.1 kN m

LL  0.9 kN m

l  3. 6 m

2) Check adequacy of timber-beam subjected to bi-axes bending of M x  1.22 kN  m

caused by dead load about stronger axis and M y  0.7 kN  m caused by wind load about
weaker axis of beam. Cross-section of beam is rectangular with dimension of 120mm x 160mm
and it is made of zigba-timber. Assume beam as part of indoor-structure (dry condition of
moisture).
y

x x d 160 mm

y b 120 mm 7
3) A round Eucalyptus-column is subjected to several loads as shown below. This column is part
of out-door structure (continuously exposed to rain-water). Both ends of the column can be
considered to be hinged. Find a suitable diameter of the column.
DL 32kN 
  Axial load from the roof
LL  23kN 
Roof
Diam. ?

Wind
load , Section A A

1.1 kN m
l  2.8 m
A A