TIMBER
(PART 1)
CIV 1202
LEARNING OUTCOMES
❖Explain what is meant by timber and lumber.
❖Explain and describe the characteristics of timber.
❖Discuss the moisture content of timber.
❖Discuss the manufacturing process of timber.
❖Discuss and explain the types of timber.
INTRODUCTION
❖Wood is an organic matter obtained from trees.
❖Wood is made-up primary of cellulose.
❖Wood which is suitable or fit for engineering construction or engineering purpose is
called “timber”.
❖Timber was derived from an English word “timbrian”
❖North America:
oWood that has been processed by a mill for construction is known as “lumber”.
oUnprocessed wood or standing tree trunks known as timber.
TIMBER CHARACTERISTICS
❖Properties:
o It is fibrous and elastic.
o Performs better under tension than compression.
o Undergoes varying degrees of moisture movement
o Straight-grain is stronger than irregular grain and it is easier to work with.
TIMBER CHARACTERISITCS
❖ Trees are divided into two classes:
1. Hardwood
2. Softwood
❖ Hardwood:
o They have broad leaves, which they shed annually.
Hardwood Trees
o The specific gravity ranges from about 0.15 to more than 1.0 for some dense [Link]
hardwoods-1341843
species.
o High strength and durability and varies with colour.
o More expensive than softwood
❖ Softwood:
o They have needle-like or scale-like leaves, which they shed when damaged or
unused.
o The specific gravity of softwood ranges from about 0.25 to 0.65.
o Used for most structural timber since it is easy to work with due to its softness
and grain straightness Softwood Trees
[Link]
TIMBER CHARACTERISTICS
❖Trees grow by adding new layers of cells to the outside of
the sapwood
❖The sapwood store nutrients and support the tree.
❖The inner layers of the sapwood stop storing nutrients and
becomes heartwood, which ONLY supports the tree.
❖In some species heartwood is more resistant to decay.
❖No difference between the specific gravity of sapwood and
heartwood.
❖Fast growing cells are known as earlywood/springwood.
❖Slower growth are called latewood/summerwood. Cross Section of Tree Stem
Su, Pingping (2012)
❖Latewood is denser and stronger than earlywood.
TIMBER CHARACTERISTICS
❖Wood grain and texture:
o The texture refers to the fineness of the wood
structure.
o The wood grain refers to the growth rings.
o Close-grained or coarse grained refers to the
width of the growth rings.
o Straight-grained and cross grained refer to
the direction of the fibers (parallel or at an
angle).
Example of Wood Grain
Wood Magazine (2018)
TIMBER DEFECTS
❖Timber defects can be in the form of:
1. Split
2. Knotholes
3. Wane
4. Cup
5. Crook
6. Checks
7. Shake
8. Bow
9. Twist
❖ Avoid: entail the drying process is uniform.
❖Natural defects: shakes and knots.
Timber Defects
[Link]
MOISTURE CONTENT
❖Moisture Content:
o Water is found in the cell cavities and walls of wood.
o Expressed as a percentage using the weight of the piece of wood prior oven-drying and after oven
drying.
o Freshly sawn wood from living trees have moisture content greater than 100%
o Saturated cell walls are termed fiber saturation point.
o The fiber saturation point is generally associated with a moisture content of 30%.
o Equilibrium moisture content is reached based on surrounding humidity and temperature.
o Temperature kilns are used to dry the wood to a specified moisture content.
o Oven-dry is used to dry the wood until no further moisture can be driven from the wood.
o The process of drying out water from timber is known as “seasoning”/ “seasoned timber.”
MOISTURE CONTENT
❖Moisture Content:
o Rate at which the wood reaches the equilibrium moisture content depends on:
1. The degree to which the wood has been enclosed or sealed.
2. The environmental conditions
3. The wood species.
TYPES OF LUMBER
❖Types of lumber:
1. Plywood
2. Chipboard
3. Structural glued laminated timber (Glulam)
PLYWOOD
❖Plywood:
o Both softwoods and hardwoods are used.
o It is made by bonding together veneers peeled from logs.
o The grain of each veneers are set at right angles to the other side,
which provides strength in both directions and minimizes thermal
movement.
o Plywood is an excellent insulator.
o Plywood undergoes charring and hollowing when exposed to
extreme heat (temperature range from 90 to 150 degrees Celsius).
o Depending on the type of adhesive used, they are resistant to
Alignment of Grains
moisture to humidity (does not warp and crack). [Link]
o Stronger than traditional timber, flexible, and stress resistant,
impact resistant.
CHIPBOARD
❖Chipboard:
o Made from mixing wood particles (wood waste) with an
additive to form a sheet material.
o Developed primarily for use in furniture.
o Wood fibers are shorter making it susceptible to warping and
splitting.
o Less likely to withstand impact damage than plywood.
o More prone to creep under prolonged loading compared to
plywood and other timber materials.
o Board fibers absorb moisture easily and will crumble and rot if
not dried quickly. Chipboard
[Link]
unilin)
o It is low cost.
o Used mainly to build low-cost indoor furniture.
GLULAM
❖Glued Laminated Timber (Glulam):
o Glued laminated timbers are produced by adhesively bonding dry lumber (1 inches or 2 inches in
thickness) under controlled conditions and temperature.
o The grains of glulam are parallel.
o Glulam can be manufactured in any size and can have curved shapes for architectural purposes.
o Glulam can be produced from softwood and hardwood.
o Glulam performs well in tension and compression but defects can reduce structural strength
MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF GLULAM
❖Manufacturing process of Glulam:
Example of Glulam
[Link]
Glulam Process
Watts, A (2016) Example of Glulam Process (VIDEO)
[Link]
manufactured/)
BENEFITS OF USING GLULAM
❖The benefits of structural glued laminated timber are:
1. They are environmentally friendly.
2. They are aesthetically pleasing to look at.
3. They are strong, stuff and durable.
4. They are stable.
5. They are fire resistant.
6. They are cost effective.
7. They are versatile.
APPLICATIONS GLULAM
❖Glulam is used as an alternative to steel or concrete
for constructing commercial and residential
buildings.
❖It is commonly used for beams and columns.
❖It can also be used for roofs, domes and bridges.
Example of Glulam Application
[Link]
THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS?