Appearances can be deceptive
In This Series
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Philip O'Leary, head of TRADA Technology's Structural Investigations team, highlights his concerns about a lack of understanding in the industry about timber strength grading issues.
Timber as a natural material, is inherently variable, even within a single species. Strength grading of softwood and hardwood overcomes this, by assessing the strength and stiffness of individual pieces intended for structural use and assigning them to a strength grade and/or strength class. Specifiers can then work with known and dependable mechanical properties.
Article from the TRADA Timber Industry Yearbook 2011
Suggested Reading
Round timber in construction: Notes for structural design
The use of round timber for structural applications can provide designers with attractive features in sympathy with local surrounding in a range of applications from housing and agricultural buildings to major engineering structures such as bridges.
Structural engineers are often faced with little information on designing with round timber...
01/01/2004 | Other Technical Guidance
Constructional timber: Fact sheet no. 3
This wood for good fact sheet is an introductory document to constructional timber.
The sheet contains tips, guides to marking and span tables for C16 and C24 floor joists.
Contents:
- Tips
- Markings
- Species
- Specifications
- Span tables for domestic floor joists: C16 timber
- Span tables for domestic floor...
01/01/2004 | Info from other organisation
Softwood sizes
Timber is an internationally traded material and the UK has traditionally imported timber from a wide range of countries, as well as producing its own. A large range of sizes are available throughout Europe, with individual countries having different traditions as to the sizes in common use.
This Wood...
01/03/2019 | Wood Information Sheet
