Unit 1

Introduction to Structural Wood

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Unit 1
Introduction to Structural Wood
Wood is that fibrous substance which composes the trunk and branches of a tree that lies
between the pitch and the bark. Wood is defined as the lignified water conducting,
strengthening and storage tissues of branches, stem, and roots of trees. Technically wood
is known as xylem.

Over the centuries, man learned to use wood effectively, developing rules of thumb to aid
in planning and building wood structures. These rules were learned gradually, based only
on experience-both successful and unsuccessful. Using these rules, skilled artisans were
able to construct in wood, producing durable, long-lasting structures of utility, often of
great beauty, and almost always of adequate strength and serviceability. Even today a
large volume of wood construction depends, more or less, on such rules of thumb for its
design. More recently, however, engineers and architects have learned to design wood
structures in ways that are based on engineering principles. Thus, today's designers,
using more rigorous design procedures, are able to ensure that a particular design will
achieve the desired level of structural safety and stiffness, as well as economy. As an
example showing the economy possible with engineered design, the same amount of
wood that was needed in the past to build a 320-ft2 log cabin can be used today to
construct a 3500-ft2 home, with those parts of the trees not suited to lumber production
being adequate to manufacture a 30-year supply of paper and tissue products for an
average family. Much progress has been made in moving from rule-of-thumb design to
present-day engineered designs. Yet our knowledge is not static, and among the design
methods shown in this book are some that undoubtedly will someday be replaced by
newer and better methods. As new design methods evolve, greater reliability (with regard
to safety) and greater economy (in terms of total volume of wood used) are the usual
result. Generally, and this is unfortunate, the improved design methods are more difficult
to apply than the earlier methods they supplant, but this is the price to be paid for greater
reliability and economy. Occasionally an improved design concept proves so complex
that it has to be drastically simplified for the designer to use easily. When this is done, the
basic principles involved may become obscured. That the structural designer will play an
increasingly important role in all types of wood construction is inevitable. Whether the
demand for wood construction and other wood products remains constant or increases,
the supply of readily available and usable trees to produce wood of good quality will
almost certainly decrease. By one forecast, the demand for various forms of wood and
wood products used for buildings is expected to rise by 1-4% per year. To meet this
demand will require better use of our resources. "Engineered" structures will become
more prevalent and those that use wood wastefully will become less common. Structural
products manufactured from wood will replace much of the lumber we use today. We see
this trend today in the introduction of wood products such as flakeboard, waferboard,
plastic/wood laminates, members made from thinly laminated wood, and shop-

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prefabricated structural components. Engineering know-how will be involved in every step
we take toward making better use of wood in construction.

There are probably more buildings constructed with wood than any other structural
material. Many of these buildings are single-family residences, but many larger apartment
buildings as well as commercial and industrial buildings also use wood framing. The
widespread use of wood in the construction of buildings has both an economic and an
aesthetic basis. The ability to construct wood buildings with a minimal amount of
specialized equipment has kept the cost of wood-frame buildings competitive with other
types of construction. On the other hand, where architectural considerations are
important, the beauty and the warmth of exposed wood are difficult to match with other
materials. Wood-frame construction has evolved from a method used in primitive shelters
into a major field of structural design. However, in comparison with the time devoted to
steel and reinforced concrete design, timber design is not given sufficient attention in most
colleges and universities.

This course provides a discussion of the engineering properties of timber that are of
interest to design engineers and architects, and it highlights that, unlike some structural
materials such as steel or concrete, the properties of timber are very sensitive to
environmental conditions; for example moisture content, which has a direct effect on the
strength and stiffness, swelling or shrinkage of timber. A proper understanding of the
physical characteristics of timber enables the building of safe and durable timber
structures.

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 Module 1
Introduction

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Module 1: Introduction
Timber from well-managed forests is one of the most sustainable resources available and
it is one of the oldest known materials used in construction. It has a very high strength to
weight ratio, is capable of transferring both tension and compression forces, and is
naturally suitable as a flexural member. Timber is a material that is used for a variety of
structural forms such as beams, columns, trusses, girders, and is also used in building
systems such as piles, deck members, railway sleepers and in formwork for concrete.

There are a number of inherent characteristics that make timber an ideal construction
material. These include its high strength to weight ratio, its impressive record for durability
and performance and good insulating properties against heat and sound. Timber also
benefits from its natural growth characteristics such as grain patterns, colors and its
availability in many species, sizes and shapes that make it a remarkably versatile and an
aesthetically pleasing material. Timber can easily be shaped and connected using nails,
screws, bolts, and dowels or adhesively bonded together.

The limitations in maximum cross-sectional dimensions and lengths of solid sawn timbers,
due to available log sizes and natural defects, are overcome by the recent developments
in composite and engineered wood products. Finger jointing and various lamination
techniques have enabled timbers (elements and systems) of uniform and high quality in
any shape, form, and size to be constructed; being only limited by the manufacturing
and/or transportation boundaries.

Timber structures can be highly durable when properly treated, detailed, and built.
Examples of this are seen in many historic buildings all around the world. Timber
possesses excellent insulating properties, good fire resistance, light weight, and aesthetic
appeal. Timber structures can easily be reshaped or altered, and if damaged they can be
repaired.

Many failures in timber buildings in the past have shown us the safe methods of
construction, connection details and design limitations. This course provides a brief
description of the engineering properties of timber that are of interest to design engineers
or architects. But it should be kept in mind that, unlike some structural materials such as
steel or concrete, the properties of timber are very sensitive to environmental conditions.
For example, timber is very sensitive to moisture content, which has a direct effect on the
strength and stiffness, swelling or shrinkage of timber. A proper understanding of the
physical characteristics of wood aids the building of safe timber structures"

Extensive research over the past few decades has resulted in comprehensive information
on material properties of timber and its reconstituted and engineered products and their
effects on structural design and service performance. Centuries of experience of use of
timber in buildings has shown us the safe methods of construction, connection details
and design limitations. A knowledge of engineering materials is essential for engineering

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design. Timber is a traditional building material and over the years considerable
knowledge has been gained on its important material properties and their effects on
structural design and service behavior.

Today, engineered wood products have greatly expanded the sustainability and versatility
of timber structures. By placing stronger material and more of it in the right places, we are
able to take greater advantage of wood’s best properties. This allows us to span the same
or greater distances as solid sawn timber but using smaller trees.

This course is designed to introduce the subject of timber design as applied to wood-
frame building construction. Although the discussion centers on building design, the
concepts also apply to the design of other types of wood-frame structures. A background
in statics and strength of materials is required to adequately follow the text. Most wood-
frame buildings are highly redundant structures, but for design simplicity are assumed to
be made up of statically determinate members. The ability to analyze simple trusses,
beams, and frames is also necessary.

Self-Assessment Questionnaire No.1 (SAQ1):

1. Define Wood?
2. What is moisture content?
3. Define Timber?
4. What is Engineered Wood?

References:
1. McMullin, Paul W., Price, Jonathan S., Architects Guidebooks to Structures,
Price Eds. Timber Design, 2017, Published by Routledge.
2. Kermani, Abdy, Structural Timber Design, 1998, Published by Wiley Blackwell
3. Judith J. Stalnaker, Ernest C. Harris, Structural Design in Wood 1997, Published
by Springer US

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