CE 51C – Timber Design

Problem Set 3

1.) An I cross-section timber material is used as a 2.8 m simply

supported beam consisting of 3-75x250mm arranged as shown
with a unit weight of 10 kN/m3. The size of the bolt is 12 mm in
diameter with a strength in shear for 90 MPa. It is spaced at 200
mm o.c. in row. Determine the following:
a.) The maximum shear load based on the strength of the bolts
b.) The additional uniform load (kN/m) that the beam can support
based on the strength of the bolts.
c.) If the beam is carrying a uniform load of 20 kN/m (including its
own weight), compute the new spacing of the bolts on centers.

2.) A simply supported timber beam with a

200x300 mm dimension is carrying a
uniform load of 25 kN/m all throughout the
6m span with 2-40 mm diameter holes are
bored as shown. Neglecting the weight and
considering the following Fball = 23,000 kPa,
Fvall = 700 kPa, max = L/250. Check for the
following:
a.) Shear stress at the support
b.) Flexural stress at the midspan
c.) Deflection at the midspan lacking: E
d.) Shear stress at 1.5m from the supports
e.) Flexural stress at 1.5m from the supports

3.) A flitch beam is composed of two 50x300mm planks

reinforced with a 12.5mm steel plate as shown. Assume that
continuous lateral support is furnished by a floor system
supported by the beam. Use A36 steel with an allowable
bending stress of 150 MPa, Fy = 250 MPa. Es = 200,00MPa, Ew
= 7692MPa, fw = 4.3 MPa. The beam is on a simple span of
4.8m and supports a uniformly distributed load of 7.3 kN/m
which includes the weight of the beam.
Allowable stresses for shear:
Steel: fv = 0.60Fy MPa
Wood: fv = 0.58 MPa
Determine the following:
a.) The resisting moment of the flitch beam
b.) The applied moment to the flitch beam
c.) The shear capacity of the flitch beam

4.) A 75x300mm wooden beam is not sufficient to carry the loads imposed upon it. It has a simple
span of 7.2m. It is to be used by two men in removing concrete forms on the side of a reinforced
concrete structure. Each man has a weight of 55 kg but one of them can carry 80 kg while the
other can carry only 35 kg. The two men will at no time be closer than 1.2m while moving along
the plank. Neglect the weight of the planks, it is desired to place another plank of equal length
and width of the gangplank to be placed on top of the 75x300mm gang plank. Allowable bending
stress = 9.68 MPa. Start the dimension of your material at 50 mm. Compute the following:
a.) The size of the gangplank to be placed on top of the 75x300mm gangplank.
b.) The flexural stress of the old gangplank after the placement of the new gangplank on top of it.
c.) The flexural stress of the new gangplank placed on top of the 75x300mm gangplank.
5.) A timber beam 150 mm wide by 250 mm deep is to be reinforced at the top and
bottom by the steel plates 10 mm thick. Assume that n = 15, the beam is to resist a
moment of 40 kN.m and the beam details as shown.
a.) Which of the following gives the width of the steel plates without exceeding the
stress in the wood of 10 MPa.
b.) Which of the following gives the width of the steel plates without exceeding the
stress in steel of 120 MPa.
c.) Which of the following gives the section modulus of the composite beam.

6.) From the sections shown, the simply supported beam spanning to 2 m is
subjected to a uniform loading of 1kN/m on the whole span and a 2kN
concentrated load at the midspan.
a.) Determine the section modulus (mm3) of the section shown
b.) Determine the moment of inertia (mm4)
c.) Determine the shearing force in each nails given that the spacing of each
nails is 20 mm.

7.) A wooden rectangular beam has been notched

1.75m from the supports. The cross-section of the
cut section is shown in the figure. The wooden
structure has the following properties: Unit
weight equivalent to 15 kN/m3 and modulus of
elasticity to 70 GPa. Which of the following:
a.) Will give the value of the additional uniform load
that the beam could carry if we are considering
the left cross-section of the beam with shearing
stress equivalent to 1.50 MPa.
b.) Will give the value of the additional uniform load
that the beam could carry if we are considering
the right cross-section of the beam with shearing
stress equivalent to 1.50 MPa.
c.) Will give the value of the additional uniform load that the beam could carry if we are
considering the left cross-section of the beam with flexural stress equivalent to 10.50 MPa.

8.) Four pieces of wooden plank is placed on top of

one another. The plank has the same dimension of
300x75 mm, length and has the same material
having E = 8000 MPa. The super imposed beam is
subjected to a total moment of 50 kN.m. The beam
is a 6m simply supported. Which of the following
gives the following:
a.) Moment carried by the lowest plank
b.) Moment carried by the 3rd plank from the bottom
c.) Radius of curvature of all the planks
 9.) Four 50 mm x 200 mm section is to be framed to carry maximum shear on a
cantilever span of 4 m. neglecting the weight of the beam. Allowable shear stress
is 0.70 MPa.
a.) Compute the safe concentrated load that the beam could carry at a distance of
1.5 m. from the fixed support if the beam is arranged as shown.

b.) Compute the safe concentrated load that the beam could carry at distance of 1.5
m. from the fixed if the beam is arranged as shown.

c.) Compute the safe concentrated load that the beam could carry at a distance of
1.5 m. from the fixed support if it is arranged as shown.

10.) A box beam which is secured by screws spaced at 100mm horizontally

apart along the length of the beam. The beam is a simply supported
structure with a concentrated load (P) at 1.2 m distance from the left
support. Neglecting the weight of the beam, determine the following

a.) Maximum allowable value of P that will not exceed the shearing stress
of the timber structure to 800 kPa
b.) Maximum allowable value of P that will not exceed the total shearing
force of the screw by 1200 N.
c.) The maximum flexural stress of the beam