MODULE 6

DESIGN OF TIMBER
STRUCTURES
 Types of timber – Classification –
Allowable stresses – Design of beams
Flexure, Shear, Bending and Deflection
considerations – Design of columns –
Design of composite beam sections with
timber and steel .

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 TIMBER
 Earliest building material used
 From Engineering point of view, Timber is
different from Wood
 Timber is wood for building - the wood at
any stage after the tree has been felled
 Used for both temporary and permanent
structures
Scaffolding Formwork SAPWOOD HEARTWOOD
CAMBIUM
Shuttering Purlin PITH

Door Beam
 There are 100-200 types of timber
BARK 3
 Biological and natural material with highly
variable properties
 Hygroscopic – moisture content varies with
relative humidity of surroundings
 Timber is capable of transferring both tensile
and compressive forces
 Non corrosive and highly durable if detailed
properly
 Very high strength to weight ratio
 Physical & mechanical properties varies in
different directions with respect to fibre
orientation
Strength when loaded parallel to grain > when loaded perpendicular to grain
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 Timber is viable to seasonal cracks and
warping
 Factor of safety depends on the exposure
conditions (inside, outside & wet) [Table 1]
 Well seasoned timber are less liable to
volume changes
 Green timber is weak
 There is a risk of biological degradation,
when exposed to high moisture conditions.
[Table 2]
 Defects in wood include knots, cracks,
wane, shake, dry rot, attack from termites,
white ants, wood borers etc. 5
 Typical Characteristics of Wood
 wood has higher strength per unit weight than most other
construction materials
 A non-homogeneous and anisotropic material showing
different characteristics not only in different directions
but also in tension and compression.
 Shrinkage of wood on drying is relatively large. Joints
loosen easily due to contraction in the direction
perpendicular to fibres. Therefore dry wood shall be used
with the moisture content less than 20 %.
 The elastic modulus is small. Consequently, members are apt
to show large deformations

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 Typical Characteristics of Wood…
 A notable creep phenomenon occurs under
permanent vertical loads. This is important
especially in snowy areas.
 Large deformation occurs due to compressive force
perpendicular to fibers. This influences the amount
of deformation of horizontal members and chord
members of built-up members.
 The defects and notches of wood influence greatly its
strength and stiffness. Consequently it is necessary
to select and to arrange structural members
considering their structural properties.

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 Typical Characteristics of Wood…
 Wood can decay from repeated changes of moisture.
Therefore seasoned wood should be used in construction.
 Preservative treatment is necessary to avoid premature
rotting and insect attack.
 Wood is a combustible material. Precautions must be
taken to minimize the danger of fire.
 Lengths more than 3.5 m long and large size timbers are
difficult to obtain. This leads to splicing through
connectors or gluing.
 In view of its lightness, very easy workability like cutting
and nailing and safe transportability, timber makes an
excellent material for post-earthquake relief and
rehabilitation construction.

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ENGINEERED WOOD
PRODUCTS
 Glued Laminated Timber  Laminated Veneer Lumber
 Cross Laminated Timber  Plywood
 Oriented Strand Boards  Particle or Fiber Boards

Laminated Veneer Lumber

Glued Laminated
Timber

Cross Laminated Timber Plywood 9

 TYPES OF TIMBER IS 883-1994

Species of timber recommended for constructional

purposes are classified into 3 groups based on
their strength properties, Modulus of Elasticity (E)
& Extreme fiber stress in bending and tension ()
 Group A- E > 12.6 x N/
> 18 N/
 Group B – 9.8 x <E < 12.6xN/
12>> 18 N/
 Group C - 5.6 x <E < 9.8 x N/
8.5 >>12 N/
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 Group A- Mangrove, Dhaman, Bullet wood

 Group B – Babul, Ebony, Oak, Teak,

Eucalyptus

 Group C - Jack, Maple, Neem, Deodar,

Coconut, Rosewood, Walnut

Table 1
IS 883:1994

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Classification for preservation based on durability
tests
 1 – Average life > 120 months

 2 – 60 months < Average life < 120 months

 3 – Average life < 60 months

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Classification based on treatability grades

 a - heartwood easily treatable

 b – heartwood treatable, but complete penetration
not always obtained; least dimension > 60mm
 c – heartwood only partially treatable
 d – heartwood refractory to treatment
 e - heartwood very refractory to treatment,
penetration of preservative being practically nil
even from the ends

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Classification based on seasoning behavior of
timber and refractoriness with respect to cracking,
splitting and drying rate

 A – Highly refractory (slow and difficulty to season

free from surface and end cracking)
 B – Moderately refractory (may be seasoned free from
surface and end cracking within reasonably short
periods, given a little protection against rapid drying
conditions)
 C – Non refractory (may be rapidly seasoned free from
surface and end cracking even in open air & sun)

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 Typical Structural Properties
 strength properties depend on:
1) Wood species
2) Direction of loading relative to the grain of wood
3) Defects like knots, checks, cracks, splits, shakes and
wanes
4) Moisture content or seasoning
5) Type of wood, such as sapwood, pith and wood from
dead trees
6) Location of use, viz. inside protected, outside,
alternate wetting and drying.

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 Typical Structural Properties
 The permissible stresses must be determined
taking all these factors into account.
 Table 6.1 gives typical basic stresses for timbers
placed in three groups A, B and C classified on
the basis of their stiffness.
 It is reasonable to increase the normal permissible
stress by a factor of 1.33 to 1.5 when earthquake
stresses are superimposed.

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 PERMISSIBLE STRESSES
The permissible bearing stress depends on the
inclination of the direction of stress to that of the
grain, the length of the bearing area and its
distance from the free end of the member.
Larger the slope of grain more is the strength
reduction
 Select Grade 1 in 20
 Grade 1 1 in 15
 Grade 2 1 in 12
The strength transverse to grain is minimum
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 IS 883-2016

 Cl:6.2 The permissible stresses of Groups A, B

and C (Grade 1) of different locations of use are
given in Table 1
Minimum permissible stress limits are given in
Table 3. The following conditions should be met.
a. Timber should be of high or moderate
durability, suitable treatment should be given
if necessary
b. Timber of low durability shall be used after
giving proper preservative treatment (IS 401-1982)
c. Loads should be continuous and permanent
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 Cl:6.3 Permissible stresses of other grades
of timber (Table 1&3) should be
multiplied by the following factors
a. For Select Grade Timber 1.16
b. For Grade 2 Timber 0.84

 When low durability timbers are to be

used on outside location, the permissible
stresses for all grades of timber, arrived
by Cl 6.2 & 6.3 shall be multiplied by 0.80

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 Modification Factors for Permissible
Stresses

a. Due to change in slope of grain

Timber with major defects, Permissible
stresses in Table 1 shall be multiplied by a
Modification factor (Table 4)

b. Due to duration of load

For different durations of design load, the
permissible stresses in Table 1 shall be multiplied
by a modification factor (Table 5)

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 IS 883-
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
 Cl:7 All structural members, assemblies or
framework in a building, in combination with the
floors, walls and other structural parts of the
building shall be capable of sustaining, with due
stability and stiffness the whole dead and imposed
loads (as specified) without exceeding the limits of
relevant stresses specified.
 Cl:7.2 Worst combination and location of loads shall
be considered for design
 Cl:7.4.1 The net section shall be obtained by
deducting the gross sectional area of timber the
projected area of all material removed by boring,
grooving or other means of critical plane 21
Beams

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DESIGN OF BEAMS IS 883

 Cl:7.5 Flexural Members

7.5.2 Effective span = distance from supports
+ 2(half the bearing width)
For continuous beams, distance between center of bearings
7.5.3 Bending Stress
fab =  fb
fab – Calculated bending stress in extreme fiber
fb– Permissible bending stress on extreme fiber
7.5.4 Form factors shall be applied to bending stress
K3 Rectangular section
K4 Box & I beams
K5 Solid circular
K6 Square cross section 23
 IS 883
Cl 7.5.5 Minimum Width > 50mm OR
Greater
1/50 of span
Cl 7.5.6 Depth < 3 times width
If Cl 7.5.5 & 7.5.6 cannot be satisfied, lateral stiffening should
be provided to resist bending or buckling

 Cl 7.5.7 Shear
Cl 7.5.7.1 Maximum horizontal shear H
When load moves from support towards center &
load is at a distance of 3 to 4 times depth of beam
from support
Cl 7.5.7.2 Vertical end reaction or Shear at a section V
For concentrated & uniformly distributed loads
Cl 7.5.7.3 Deductions in load & Table 6 [Reduction
factors for concentrated loads]
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 IS 883-1994
 Cl 7.5.8 Bearing
Cl 7.5.8.1 Ends of flexural member shall be supported in
recesses which provide adequate ventilation to
prevent dry rot & shall not be enclosed
Cl7.5.8.3 Bearing Stress
It is the vertical stress on the bearing area, should be less
than the permissible stress in compression perpendicular to
the grain fcn(Table 1) for a bearing length ≥ 150mm
Cl7.5.8.3.1 (c) For bearing length < 150mm & located
75mm or more from the end of the member, the
permissible stress shall be multiplied by
Modification factor K7(Table 13)

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 IS 883-1994
 Cl 7.5.9.6 Deflection
Cl 7.5.9.6.1 Deflection of flexural members supporting brittle
materials < 1/360 of span
Other Flexural members < 1/240 of span
Cantilever 1/150 of freely hanging length

Cl7.5.9.6.2 Deflection δ
δ=
K values are given for different loading conditions

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 TYPES OF BEAMS
 Solid beams
 Built up beam
Composed of vertical sections that are bolted together
firmly. Used for large spans and higher loads
 Flitched beam
It consist of 2 or more timber pieces which is
reinforced with steel plates
 Notched beam
Grooves are cut in the soffit of beams at supports or at
mid span

Notch Notch 27
 Built up Beams

Notched Beams

Flitched Beam

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 IS 883
DESIGN OF COLUMNS
Timber compression members may have solid rectangular or
circular cross section which may be uniform throughout the
length or tapering.
S –overall unsupported
 Cl 7.6.1 Solid Columns length of the column

Short S/d  11
Intermediate 11 < S/d < K8
Long S/d > K8
The permissible compressive stress values for Solid
columns are given in Cl 7.6.1.1, 7.6.1.2 & 7.6.1.3
Cl 7.6.1.4 For solid timber columns, S/d shall not
exceed 50
The permissible compressive stress values for circular columns
and tapered cross sectional columns are given in Cl 7.6.1.6 &
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 IS 883
 Cl7.6.2 Box & Built up Columns

Built-up columns are formed by spiking, nailing or bolting

together planks or square sections. Planks must be fastened
together at regular intervals (<6 times thickness)

Box columns are made by connecting planks together so as

to have a hollow core inside. The core is blocked by solid pieces
of timber at the ends and intermediate points. The pieces are
joined by screws, nails, bolts, glue or other connectors.

Slenderness ratio (Sr) is given by

d1 and d2 are least dimension of overall width and core width respectively

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 Short columns Sr< 8
Intermediate Columns 8 > Sr > K9
Long Columns Sr > K9

The permissible compressive stress values for box columns

are given in Cl 7.6.2.2, 7.6.2.3 & 7.6.2.4

 Cl 7.6.3 Spaced Columns

The formulae for calculating permissible compressive stress of
short solid columns are applicable to spaced columns with a
restraint factor of 2.5 to 3
The permissible compressive stress values for intermediate and
long spaced columns are given in Cl 7.6.3.1 & 7.6.3.2
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 Usually employed in trusses with nailed, bolted or disc
dowelled connections
 Spaced column consist of 2 or more wooden members
with their longitudinal axis parallel and joined at their
end and intermediate points by block pieces
 These members are separated from each other by means
of spacer blocks
 Thickness of spacer block ≥ thickness of individual
components
 Safe load carrying capacity of spaced
column is the sum of safe load carrying
capacities of individual
members

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 Flitched Beams

 Wooden beam reinforced with steel strips form

composite beams.
 Flitched section are stronger than pure wooden
beams of same dimensions and are also economical.
 reinforcing material should have a modulus of
elasticity greater than that of the reinforced
material.
 The steel plates are bolted or screwed to the timber
beams. The connection is made perfectly such that
there is no slipping between them.
 The composite beam behaves like a single
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 Flitched Beams

 The bending theory is valid when a constant

value of Young's modulus applies across a
section
 it cannot be used directly to solve the composite-
beam problems where two different materials,
and therefore different values of E, exists.
 The method of solution in such a case is to
replace one of the materials by an equivalent
section of the other.

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 Flitched Beams

 Assumption
 In order to analyze the behavior of composite beams,
make the assumption that the materials are bonded
rigidly together so that there can be no relative axial
movement between them.
 This means that all the assumptions, which were valid
for homogenous beams are valid except the one
assumption that is no longer valid is that the Young's
Modulus is the same throughout the beam.

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37
 Flitched Beams

 Beam have stiffening plates

 The equivalent beam of the main beam material
can be formed by scaling the breadth of the plate
material in proportion to modular ratio.
 the strain at any level is same in both materials,
the bending stresses in them are in proportion to
the Young's modulus.

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 Flitched Beams

 Strain Compatibility
 With two materials bonded together, both will act
as one, and the deformation in each is the same.
 Therefore, the strains will be the same in each
material under axial load.
 In flexure the strains are the same as in a
homogeneous section, i.e. linear.
 In flexure, if the two materials are at the same
distance from the N.A., they will have the same
strain at that point because both materials share the
same strain diagram.
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40
 Flitched Beams

 Strain Compatibility
 The stress in each material is determined by
using Young’s Modulus
 Care must be taken that the elastic limit of each
material is not exceeded. The elastic limit can be
expressed in either stress or strain.

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 Flitched Beams

 Advantages
 Compatible with the wood structure, i.e. can be
nailed
 Lighter weight than a steel section
 Less deep than wood alone
 Stronger than wood alone
 Allow longer spans
 The section can vary over the length of the span
to optimize the member
 The wood stabilizes the thin steel plate
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 Flitched Beams
 Flexure Stress using Transformed Sections
 basic flexural stress equation, derived based on a homogeneous
section.
 Therefore, to use the stress equation one needs to “transform” the
composite section into a homogeneous section
 For the new “transformed section” to behave like the actual
section, the stiffness of both would need to be the same.
 Since Young’s Modulus, E, represents the material stiffness, when
transforming one material into another, the area of the transformed
material must be scaled by the ratio of one E to the other.
 In order to also get the correct stiffness for the moment of Inertia,
I, only the width of the geometry is scaled. Using I from the
transformed section (ITR) will then give the same flexural
stiffness as in the original section.

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Flitched Beams

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 Calculate the Transformed Section, ITR
 Use the ratio of the E modulus from each material to
calculate a modular ratio, n.

 Usually the softer (lower E) material is used as a base

(denominator). Each material combination has a different n.
 Construct a transformed section by scaling the width of each
material by its modular, n.
 Itr is calculated about the N.A. using the transformation
equation (parallel axis theorem) with the transformed
section.
 Separate transformed sections must be created for each axis
(x-x and y-y)
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