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Introduction To Timber Design

This document provides an overview of timber structures and design. It discusses timber as a structural material, including its strengths and weaknesses. The properties of wood, such as its strength parallel and perpendicular to grain, are examined. Methods of preservative treatment, grading of lumber, and engineered wood products are described to reduce variability. Design values are provided for different wood products. Issues like shrinkage, connections, and reliability are also covered at a high level.

Uploaded by

Akash Bharti
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
391 views

Introduction To Timber Design

This document provides an overview of timber structures and design. It discusses timber as a structural material, including its strengths and weaknesses. The properties of wood, such as its strength parallel and perpendicular to grain, are examined. Methods of preservative treatment, grading of lumber, and engineered wood products are described to reduce variability. Design values are provided for different wood products. Issues like shrinkage, connections, and reliability are also covered at a high level.

Uploaded by

Akash Bharti
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Design of Timber Structures

Timber as a structural material


The oldest construction material and
still one of the most versatile
A natural material with inherent
flaws and variability
We need to recognize its strengths
and weaknesses
Timber design therefore as much an
art as a science

One of natures most efficient structures:


an Arbutus tree facing the onslaught of West Coast storms

Decay of wood
Requirements:
nutrition (wood)
modest temperature (~ 20 C)
moisture (the only one that can be readily controlled)

Preservative treatment of wood in marine environment

Decay in a poorly constructed building envelope

Wet column bases

Comparative
material
properties

Stress (MPa)
400

mild steel

300
200
100

wood (parallel to grain)


-20

-10

10

concrete

-100
-200

-300
-400

20

Strain, %
30

Fire resistance

One of the biggest challenges in light timber construction


Also an important benefit of heavy timber construction

Probability of occurrence

Reliability and Safety


Strength distributions

Load
distributions

Probability of failure
(overlap area)

Load, Resistance

Probability of occurrence

Safety Factors
Load
distribution

Strength distribution

Global safety factor = Ravg/Lavg

Lavg

Probability of failure
(overlap area)

Ravg

Load, Resistance

Probability of occurrence

Safety factors
Load
distribution

Resistance
distribution

Nominal safety factor = R95/L05

95th percentile
L95

5th percentile
R05

Measure of safety

Load, Resistance

Probability of occurrence

Probability of occurrence

Safety
Index

Load
distribution
Strength distribution

Probability of failure
(overlap area)

(Resistance Load)
distribution

Probability of
failure

= Safety Index

(SDEV)
Resistance - Load

Probability of occurrence

Normal Distribution
1.645 SDEV

Resistance
distribution

R05

Ravg

Load, Resistance

Design equation
Factored Action Factored Resistance
From National Building Code
(same for all materials)

Load factor
Load (L95)

From material specific


design code, e.g. O86.1

L R
Resistance (R05)
Calibration factor

Material
properties of
wood
imagine a bundle of
straws held together with
elastic bands

lignin
cellulose fibres

tension parallel to grain


compression parallel to grain
tension perpendicular to grain
compression perpendicular to grain
shear

Design properties

(approximate values, D-fir No.1/2)


Clear
wood
(MPa)

Structural
timber
(MPa)

Tension parallel to grain ( ft )

20

Compression parallel to grain ( fc )

18

14

Tension perpendicular to grain ( ftp )

Compression perpendicular to grain ( fcp )

30

10

Strength property

Bending ( fb )
Shear parallel to grain ( fv )

Consequences of different
design values
Avoid tension perpendicular and shear
stresses at all cost
Make use of compression strength of wood
as much as possible
Simplify connections and use compression
load transfer when possible
Avoid stress concentrations and complex
stress patterns

Brittle failure
of wood
Tension perpendicular to grain
Tension parallel to grain
Shear

Factors that affect the


strength of clear wood
Decay
Direction of load w.r.t. grain orientation
Others .. ?

Effect of density
Density values:
Douglas fir 0.49
Pine
0.37-0.44
Hemlock
0.43
Spruce
0.37-0.43

Strength (MPa)

200

150

Modulus of elasticity

Modulus of rupture
Compression parallel

100

Compression perpendicular

50

0
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

Relative density

0.8

1.0

Grading of timber

Defects that affect the


strength of timber

Visual Grading of Lumber


Lumber is sorted for a specific
application, e.g.
For tension members all knots and
defects have a significant effect
For beams and stringers, the grader
focuses on edge knots
For posts and timbers sloped grain is
more important

The larger the members, the higher


the probability of missing some
important defects

The sorting process


Sorting by species

Species of similar strength


characteristics are lumped together

Visual grading

A certified grader sorts wood by hand


according to visual appearance
Lumber gets sorted according to end use
Grading criteria:
Knots (type, location, size, frequency),
wane, checks, slope of grain, pitch pockets

Mechanical grading

Testing of lumber
Tension test

Full size members are tested


(a) To failure (full
distribution is obtained)
(b) Up to a proof load (only
lower tail end of
distribution is obtained)

Probability of
occurrence

Bending test

Proof load

Strength
distribution

5th percentile value

Strength

Use of dimension lumber in


residential construction

Platform construction

Platform
construction

Residential construction

Design values for structural joists and planks (MPa)


General
purpose
members

Design values for beams and stringers (MPa)

Beams and stringers on the flat


Adjustment factors when using beams or
stringers on the flat:

Select Structural
No.1 or No.2

fb

E or E05

0.88
0.77

1.00
0.90

Variability of material properties


Bridging
(load sharing)
En
(le gine
ss er
va ed
ria wo
bil
it y o d p
)
ro

du
cts

Selection of members
for specific applications
(grading)

Closely spaced members


(load sharing)

Defects are
distributed
among many
laminations

Large glulam
beams in
buildings
and bridges

Design values for


Douglas fir glulam
(MPa)

Probability of occurrence

Design concepts
Engineered wood product

Load
distribution

Probability of failure
(overlap area)

Sawn lumber

Load, Resistance

Engineered wood products pick the best member for each application
laminated veneer lumber
I-joists

laminated strand lumber


oriented
strandboard

finger-jointed studs

plywood

Structural design
To minimize the probability of a very
high stress (extreme load case)
occurring at a location of very low
strength (extreme weakness)
low strength area

high stress area

Wall
construction
These elements
for shearwalls
only

Loads on
walls
Gravity loads
(dead load, snow,
occupancy)
Shear loads
(wind, earthquake)
Lateral loads
(wind)

Shrinkage of wood

shrinkage (%)

10

radi
al sh
r

tan
gen
t

inka
g

ial

shr

ink
age

lengthwise shrinkage
0

10

15

20

moisture content of wood (%)

25

30

Wood shrinkage in platform construction

2x12 (38x235) joists

2x4 (38x89) top plates

When using green wood (25% MC)


Shrinkage @ 5% results in
(0.05)(235+38+38) = 15.6mm

Post and
beam
constructi
on

Post and
beam
construction

C.K. Choi
building, UBC
campus

Design values for posts and timbers (MPa)

Mechanical grading of lumber


P

elastic modulus is measured


over entire length and
averaged
E-values are correlated with
strength values

Probability of
occurrence

Machine stress rating


non-destructive
continuous feed

MSR

Visual

5th percentile values

Strength

Design values for MSR lumber (MPa)


Note: no
species
separation

Use of MSR lumber in trusses

Engineered wood products


A way to reduce the variability of the
material
Use low quality material to produce a
high-grade product
Use high quality material in high
stress zones
No size limitations (almost)
Can be made for special applications

Shrinkage in
woodframe
construction

Shrinkage in
connections

Wood properties and


connection design
Avoid connections as much as possible
Work with the strong properties of
wood (compression)
Avoid weak properties (tension
perpendicular and shear)
Consider shrinkage
Design for durability
Strive for simplicity

Efficient use of timber for a long span roof


(minimal connections)

Bearing
connections

Bearing connections

Bearing
connections

Bearing connections

Complex connections ??

The connection
palace

Wood in bending and compression

The ultimate
tree ??

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