Advanced Construction

Techniques
Using Engineered Timber

What is Engineered Timber ?

FALLING WATER DESIGN BY F.L.WRIGHT

The

best friend of man is the tree. When we use the tree

respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest
resources on the earth.
By Frank Lloyd Wright
(American architect, interior designer)

CONTENTS: Introduction
Supply of Wood
Trees & wood
Manufacturing process
Product range
Design
Engineering limits(Wood properties)
Prefabrication
Embodied CO2
SUPERIOR Fire RESISTANCE
Connections
Wood modification
Inspiration
Conclusions
References

Introduction
Why to used Timber ?

High Strength
Greater Durability
Low maintenance
Fire resistive
Low Cost Material
Timber construction is quick
Versatile
Timber construction- environmentally sensitive

Supply of wood
Trees and wood
Approximately 20% of worlds land surface covered by trees.
97% of all softwood used in Europe comes from European
forests.
30% increase in wooded area in Europe between
Years 1990-2000.
Trees are on average 60-80 years old on harvest.
Primary softwoods used for construction are
Spruce (whitewood) and pine (redwood).

Forest distribution

fig. Global Map

Manufacturing Process

Fig. Timber manufacturing & treatment plant

Fig. Factory cutting and arrangements

Fig. Glue application process to make a combined product

Fig. Different cuttings of Timber as per requirements

Product range
Engineered timber

Glue laminated timber (Glulam)

Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
Cross laminated timber panels (CLT)
Brettstapel
Plywood

Engineered timber
Glulam
Spruce grades GL24 to GL36
Lamella thickness of type 40mm
Stock sizes up to 20cm x 65cm x
13.5m
Other sizes up to 28cm x 2.2m x
36m
Glues are melamine resin based.
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
Jumbo plywood made from 3mm thick
veneers.
Finn Forest Kerto (S & Q)
Different lay ups produce boards or
beams
Thickness up to 75mm
Panel sizes 2.5m x 20m+

Engineered timber
Brettstapel
Solid timber panels
Glued, nailed, screwed or dowelled
Thickness up to 260mm
Lengths up to 18m
Widths up to 1.2m
Floor and roof spans up to 10m+

Design
Engineering limits(Wood properties)
Timber is anisotropic
5 to 10x weaker across the grain
(similar to bundle of straws)
Affected by moisture
50% moisture content natural state,
12- 20% in use (hygroscopic)
20-40%loss in strength in damp
conditions
Strength
Defect free -100N/mm2
Typical wood-16-24N/mm2
Softwoods used in UK are
designed using 6N/mm2

 Strength and stiffness depends on a number of factors:

Species of timber
Moisture content of timber
Duration of load
Direction of stress within timber
Defects present in timber
Slenderness
Moisture content:
40% to 20% reduction in strength and stiffness for 20%+
moisture content

Embodied CO2

Prefabrication

Walls/floors

Slab/walls

Platform construction

Fig. Lintels in an open & closed panel timber frame wall panel

Fig. Floor to Floor construction

SUPERIOR FIRE RESISTANCE

GLULAM
Structural glued laminated timbers known as Glulam.
Glulam is fabricated Timber made using individual pieces of high
strength, kiln-dried lumber, laminated together under pressure.
Traditional beauty of wood along with engineered strength,
extraordinary fire resistance, thermal efficiency and dimensional
stability.
Glulam is typically manufactured using Douglas fir, Hem-Fir, Southern
pine, Spruce-Pine-Fir, Alaskan Yellow cedar and Ponderosa pine.

Efficient, Cost-Effective Fire Protection

Advances in test methods and fire technology have increased our
understanding of how glulam responds to fire exposure.

PERFORMANCE OF LARGE TIMBERS IN FIRES

When exposed to fire, wood retains its strength for a longer period of time
than metal.
Unprotected metals quickly lose their strength and collapse suddenly, often
with little warning.
In contrast, wood loses strength slowly.
As a rule, wood will not ignite until it reaches a temperature
of around 480F.

CONSTRUCTION APPROACHES
Buildings constructed with large structural timbers have excellent fire
-resistive qualities.
U.S. model building codes recognize these qualities and provide two distinct
approaches : Heavy Timber Construction and Fire Resistive Construction

Other Fire-Resistance Considerations

Pressure impregnated, fire-retardant treatments are not recommen-ded
for large timber or glulam construction.
These treatments do not increase the fire-resistance rating of the large
timber or glulam.
Fire-retardant chemicals reduce the design properties of the wood. In
addition, for engineered wood products, the treatments may not be
compatible with the adhesives used.
SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
Automatic sprinkler systems have an excellent record of improving fire
safety and reducing losses.
Many fire codes require that automatic sprinkler systems be installed in
larger commercial buildings, and in some cases, added to existing
buildings.
Such sprinkler systems may improve the fire-resistance and flamespread ratings for a buildings structural

Connections
Connection design critical in timber structures.
Typically connections determine the section sizes in multiple element
structures.
Recent years have seen major advances in fixing technology .
Glued connections strongest and stiffest.
Connections with multiple Small fixings (ie nails or screws) are also
efficient

Fig . shear plates

Fig. Joist connections

Fig. Trusses featuring bolts and large washers

Wood modification
Improve properties of wood
through chemical and thermal
modification
Potential to improve durability,
dimensional stability and strength
properties
Existing examples include
Accoya
acetylated wood and Thermowood
Cambridge University is Working
on the structural and architectural
use of polymerised wood

50m-span bridge into the city of Sneek in

the Netherlands

Submerged bridge at the restored Fort de

Roovere in the Netherlands

Inspiration
Name :Tamedia office building
Zurich, switzerland
Storeys:7(including mezzanine
gallery)
Workplaces: 480
Floor area of the new building:
8,905 m2
Cubic volume of new building:
39,085 m3
Wood used in construction:
2,000 m3 of spruce (Styria)
Architect:Shigeru Ban Architect
Europe, Paris

CONCULSIONS
In modern day construction, we can construct fire
resistive, light weight & lifelong structures with the help of
Engineered timber.
Timber gives good strength as similar steel & concrete
structures.
Timber material gives good appearance & natural feeling
to the structures.
To used similar advanced timber techniques in India.

References