CLT Fabricated with Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis Wood from Fast-Growth Forest Plantations: Physical and Mechanical Properties

Fabrication and use of Cross Laminated Timber(CLT)using tropical woods is still limited at present.Therefore objective of the present study aims to determine the possibility of using CLT panels of 3 and 5 layers,fabricated withTectona grandis and Gmelina arborea wood using adhesive of isocyanate polymer emulsion system catalyzed with polymeric isocyanate.Delamination,water absorption,density,flexure test,compression and glue-line shear were evaluated using ANSI/APA PRG320-2012 ASTM D198 and ASTM D4761 standard.The results showed that CLT panels of T.grandis presented higher values of density,less water absorption and lower delamination,with no evident differences between the CLT of 3 and 5 layers.The high density of T.grandis resulted in higher values of the mechanical properties.The flatwise and edgewise flexure tests in 5-layer CLT panels of both species pre-sented higher values of bending stiffness compared to those of 3-layer CLT panels.Further the bending stress values in 3-layer CLT panels were higher than for 5-layer CLT panels.As for shear stress in bending flatwise,in both species,3-layer CLT surpassed 5-layer CLT panels,but in the edgewise test no differences were observed.The MOE and Fc in the compression test were superior in relation to the edgewise test.MOE and Fc in compres-sion flatwise in 3-layer CLT was greater than in 5-layer CLT in both species,but edgewise these values were higher in 5-layer CLT panels.The most common failures were stress and delamination in the flexure test,whereas in the compression test these were:shearing,splitting and crushing.In the glue-line shear test no differences were observed between CLT panels of 3 and 5 layers for both species.

Laminated Solid Timber Slab with Transverse Prestressing Using the Strategy of Interleaved Vertical Displacement of Lamellae

This article presents a study on the structural behavior of transversely prestressed laminated timber slabs,focusing on an innovative approach:vertically misaligned lamellae.This misalignment,achieved by sliding vertically the wooden lamellae rather than aligning them,enhances the slab’s cross-section moment of inertia,thereby improving load-bearing capacity and stiffness.Testing involved two groups of structural size specimens:one with vertically aligned lamellae(control group)and the other with misaligned lamellae(study group).Results showed the study group exhibited 42%superior stiffness and 10%less load capacity compared to the control.Failures typically occurred individually in the lamellae,particularly in those with defects or lower modulus of elasticity,concentrated in the middle third of the slabs’free span where tensile stresses peak.Despite a higher number of failed lamellae,the study group demonstrated promising performance.Analysis of prestressing bar indicated no damage at all in the thread,suggesting potential for reducing bar diameter.These findings offer crucial insights into applying these slabs in timber construction as well as to any kind of construction.

Pilot Study to Examine Radial Variation in Annual Ring Width, Density and Shrinkage

The annual ring width, density and shrinkage variation from pith to bark in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) and Boka sugi (Cryptomeria japonicd) were studied and compared. The results show that the ring width decreased sharply from pith to bark for Chinese fir. However, the ring width variation pattern for Boka sugi followed a different way, i.e., the ring width decreased to the fifth ring, increased to the tenth ring, decreased again to the fifteenth, and then increased to the twentieth, where it...