"Large-scale Timber Systems (based on glulam, LVL and other engineered wood products) may be used for industrial and commercial buildings with long spans, as well as for bridges, parking decks, atc."
Benefits of Using Timber for Building Purposes
Large-scale Timber Construction
"The maximum dimension of solid timber sawn from logs is of the order of 300mm or even less [...] This means that themaximum possible span of structural timber beams in practice is limited to 5-7m. Before the appearance os engineered wood products such as glulam, timber trusses were therefore commonly used to achieve larger spans, which is often needed in roof and bridge construction."
Laminated beams: timber laminations stacked on topo of each other and structurallu connected to form members with large cross-section.
Glulam: Glued Laminated Timber. Can be produced in curved shapes. Ideal for large spans. Spans of 30m and more can be achieved.
Timber in Bridge Construction
For small spans, straight beams of solid wood, glulam or other engineered wood products can be used as the primary load-bearing elements. Trusses, arches or framed structures can be used as primary structures for larger spans.
Durability: Key Factor - avoid chemical treatment is possible by careful design and detailing to keep timber constantly dry.
Reference:
Thelandersson, Sven, and Hans Jørgen. Larsen. Timber Engineering. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sssVW7-YynwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=timber+structures&ots=Et06dFo3QO&sig=bzSUdCV7KuH_u7zFQcu7DU1VIIY#v=onepage&q&f=false>
Benefits of Using Timber for Building Purposes
- Environmentally friendly
- Easily recyclable material
- Very low energy consumption during production [compared to other materials]
- Low weight in relation to strenght [better for transport, erection and production]
- Aesthetic qualities
Large-scale Timber Construction
"The maximum dimension of solid timber sawn from logs is of the order of 300mm or even less [...] This means that themaximum possible span of structural timber beams in practice is limited to 5-7m. Before the appearance os engineered wood products such as glulam, timber trusses were therefore commonly used to achieve larger spans, which is often needed in roof and bridge construction."
Laminated beams: timber laminations stacked on topo of each other and structurallu connected to form members with large cross-section.
Glulam: Glued Laminated Timber. Can be produced in curved shapes. Ideal for large spans. Spans of 30m and more can be achieved.
Timber in Bridge Construction
For small spans, straight beams of solid wood, glulam or other engineered wood products can be used as the primary load-bearing elements. Trusses, arches or framed structures can be used as primary structures for larger spans.
Durability: Key Factor - avoid chemical treatment is possible by careful design and detailing to keep timber constantly dry.
Reference:
Thelandersson, Sven, and Hans Jørgen. Larsen. Timber Engineering. New York: J. Wiley, 2003. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sssVW7-YynwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=timber+structures&ots=Et06dFo3QO&sig=bzSUdCV7KuH_u7zFQcu7DU1VIIY#v=onepage&q&f=false>