Structures IV _STRU401

Lecture 12: Properties of Building

Materials
Wood/Timber
Name: Lawrence Ogunsanya
Email : lawrencesanya@yahoo.com
1

Wood terminology

Hard wood
Soft wood
Heart wood
Sap wood
Growth rings
Plain (flat) sawn
Quarter sawn
Board foot
2

Hard woodSoft woods

All native species of trees are divided into
two classes.
Hard wood have broad leaves and are
deciduous ( maple, acacia, oak)
Soft woods are conifers (pine, cedar, fir)

Types of Woods

Types of woods
Natural
Engineered
Laminates
Plywood
Standard board
All trees used for wood production are exogenous
Deciduous produce hardwoods - furniture
Conifers produce softwoods - construction

Heartwood and sapwood

Sap wood

Sapwood is the outer portion

that conducts sap and has the
living cells.
The thickness will vary,
but usually from 1-1/2 to 2
inches on a mature tree.
Heartwood is the inactive
cells in the inner portion.
Heart wood
Mineral deposits may
cause darker color.
Deposits make wood more
durable.

Bark

Growth rings
Because of the rate a tree
grows, changes with the
seasons, a cross section will
show distinctive rings.
Springwood
Inner part of the growth
ring
Usually larger cavities and
thin walls
Summerwood
Outer part of the growth
ring
Smaller cells and thicker
Springwood
walls.
A tree grows one springwood and
one summerwood ring each year.

Summerwood

Seven Characteristics/Properties of
wood
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Grain orientation
Stiffness
Ease of working
Paint holding ability
Nail holding power
Decay resistance
Bending strength

Grain Orientation
Wood is stronger when forces are
applied parallel to the grain than
when force is applied perpendicular
to the grain.

Wood Characteristics-Stiffness
Stiffness is a measure of the amount of deflection that
occurs when a load is applied.
Its determined by the cross section shape of the member
and the load.
The amount of acceptable deflection is different for each
building member.

Timber/Wood Properties.
Ease of working
Tree species vary on workability and machine ability.
Paint holding ability
Paint holds better on edge grain
Knots do not hold paint well
The bark side of a flat sawed board will usually hold
paint better than the inner side.
Nail holding power
Related to density and its splitting tendencies
Denser and harder woods hold better if they do not
split.
Decay resistance
Wood that is continuously dry or continuously wet does
not decay.
Ideal decay conditions are 21-24% moisture
The heartwood of some species is very decay resistant.
10

Timber
Applications

11

Manufacture and Engineered Timber/Wood

Most manufactured timber products revolve around the
theme of gluing sheets or
small pieces of timber fused together to make bigger, more
efficient, or different shaped components.
Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
Plywood
Particleboard
Medium Density Fibre Board
Glue laminated timber (Glulam)
I beams
Cross laminated timber (CLT)
Other engineered products - such as Truss joists - use truss
technology to make standard lines of construction purposes

12

Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)

Thin sheets of timber are laminated
together under pressure, using glue
Deep and long sections possible
High strength

grain in all
laminates

13

Plywood
Made by gluing and pressing thin
laminates of timber together into sheet form
Grain in laminates alternates to provide greater
stability
Glues may be used to suit external or internal
requirements
Main uses:

Decorative
Bracing
Structural floor sheeting
Formwork

14

Particleboard
Made by gluing wood chips together (mainly in
sheet form)
Makes good use of forest resources not suitable
for sawing
Random chip directions create homogenous
strength in length and width
Made for internal uses
Main uses:
Cabinet construction e.g. kitchen cabinets
Structural floor sheeting

15

Medium Density Fibre Board

Similar approach to particleboard but uses wood
fibres not chips. This provides a much smoother
surface finish. It can also be moulded and routed.
Made to suit internal applications with an emphasis
on providing a substrate for decorative finishes
Main uses:
Doors in cabinet construction
Internal fit out e.g. skirtings, tiles, architraves,
partitions
Door skins for hollow core doors

16

Glue laminated timber (Glulam)

Small blocks of sawn timber are glued together to form
deep members
Defects and weaknesses in individual pieces minimised
Can be used to create curved architectural structures

17

I Beams
I-beams are made from solid timber flanges, with plywood or steel
webs
Lightweight,
Suitable for multiple medium spans beam
applications

18

Cross laminated timber (CLT)

CLT is a digitally designed and manufactured building material that can be

used in place of conventional materials such as concrete.
Timber boards are stacked in layers at right angles and glued together with
non-toxic adhesives before being hydraulically pressed to make solid wood
panels, creating a product with a high fire-resistance, good thermal insulation
19
properties and improved strength.

Sawn products
Involves cutting logs into lengths with small cross
sectional profiles.
The resulting pieces have different properties in
length, width and depth
The sawn timber is strong along the length (the
direction of the grain)
Not particularly strong or stable across the width
We generally make use of timber along its length
(with the grain).

20

Sawn products

21

Sawing
Direction

Plain sawn (Flat sawn)

Board is sawed parallel to growth
rings
Most common boards.

Quarter sawn
Log is first quartered
Boards are cut
perpendicular to the
grain.
Usually must be special
ordered.
22

Timber
Defects & Failures

23

Wood: Agents of Attacks

Fungi (decay): Moisture, high temperatures,
adequate oxygen.
Destroying fungi
Disfiguring fungi
Insects
Beetles
Termites
Bacteria
Weathering
Chemicals: Strong acids and alkalis
Heat
Mechanical forces: Unbalanced forces &
stresses causing permanent deformation.
24

Wood Defects.
Shakes
Tendency of wood to split if it is put under stress from rapid
drying, poor felling or de-lamination of the growth rings.

25

Wood Defects.
Split
Is a separation of the wood due to tearing apart of wood cells.
Split is usually due to large variations in temperature.

26

Wood Defects.
Blue stain
A decolouration penetrating the sapwood caused by fungi.
There are two types; log blue present in the log before it is
sawn, yard and kiln blue colour after sawing.

27

Wood Defects.
Mould
A fine vegetable growth, or mildew, that forms on wood in damp
stagnant atmospheres.
It is the least harmful type of fungus and is usually confined to the
surface of wood.

28

Wood Defects.
Weathering
Resisting alternate wet and dry conditions.
Chemical and mechanical decolouration and disintegration of
wood surfaces occur due to exposure to weather, dust, light.
Also fibre change may occur due to varied moisture content.

29

Wood Defects.
Dry Rot
Dry rot refers to wood decay caused by certain species of
fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the
wood which give the wood strength and stiffness.

30

Wood Defects.

31

Wood Defects

Insect attack
Types of insects that cause deterioration of wood:
carpenter ants, beetles, and termites
Carpenter ants prefer higher moisture content and softer wood
that has begun to decay
While powder post beetles prefer low moisture content in both
softwoods and hardwoods.

Wood Defects
Warping
Wood warping is a deviation from flatness as a result of
stresses and shrinkage from the uneven drying of timber
The five major types of warp are cup, bow, crook, twist and
diamonding

33

Wood Defects
Wane (Bark)
Knot

Shake

Split
Cross grain crack

Sloping
grain
34

Wood Preservation
Petroleum-based solutions
Coal-tar creosote, petroleum creosote,
pentachlorophenol
Waterborne preservatives
Ammoniacal copper arsenate
Chromated copper arsenate
Ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate
Advantages over oil cleanliness, ability to be
painted
Disadvantages dangerous to humans

35

Advantages of Wood
Wood is the most environmentally responsible building
material. Timber has low production energy requirements
and is a net carbon absorber. Timber is a renewable resource
Wood is readily available.
Wood is strong, light and reliable making timber construction
simpler and safer than steel or concrete construction.
The lightweight structures possible in wood confer flow-on
advantages in terms of reduced foundation costs, reduced
earthquake loading and easier transport.
Wooden building components and complete constructions
are simple and safe to erect,
and cheaper to deconstruct or reuse at the end of a
buildings life.
Wood has low toxicity and therefore requires no special
safety precautions to work with it, other than normal
protection from dusts and splinters.
36

Advantages of Wood
Comparative studies of the economics of different wall
framing systems indicate that, in terms of direct building
expenses, timber frames are consistently the most costeffective solution.
Good detailing, coating and maintenance ensure that
timber structures are durable and last for lifetimes.
A particular feature of wood is the flexibility of design
forms and finishes that can be used.
This flexibility also extends to the ease with which
existing buildings can be added to or modified to suit
changing circumstances.
Well-designed Timber structures are comfortable to live
in all year round no matter where you are.
Wooden structures have high levels of thermal
insulation, reducing heating costs and conserving
energy
37

Timber structures

38

Timber structures

39

Timber structures

40

Timber Structures

Metropol Parasol, Seville, Spain

41

Timber Structures

42

Timber Structures

43

Timber structures

Hry-ji, Bhuddist temple, Japan

607AD

44

Forte apartment complex in Melbourne Australia

45

Questions

46