Transcript Slide 1

Engineered Wood
Products
Paul Cooper
Faculty of Forestry
University of
Toronto
Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are engineered wood products?
What are their advantages or benefits?
Examples of EWP
Some issues with EWP
1. What are Engineered Wood Products?
Wood based products (usually composites) designed to
meet application-specific performance requirements and
to take best advantage of the structural properties of the
different components
Strands
– Oriented Strand Board
– Parallel strand lumber
– ParallamTM
Veneer based
– Plywood
– Laminated veneer lumber
(LVL)
– Veneer overlaid products
Lumber based
– Glued laminated timbers
– Trusses
– Edge glued products
Combinations
– I-Joists
– Structurally Insulated
Panels
Fiber based
– Fiber reinforcement
EWP’s address some of wood’s
disadvantages
• Natural variability of wood – strength
unpredictable, unreliable
• Hygrosopicity and resulting dimensional
instability
_______________________________
• Biodegradable – vulnerable to decay
• Combustible
Benefits or Advantages
1. Efficient use of wood through “engineering”
e.g., placing stronger and more uniform
components in areas of higher stress
2. Stable, uniform & consistent
3. “Reliable”
4. Flexible with respect to shape and size
5. Value added products
6. Composite products - Take advantage of
best properties of different materials
Efficient use of wood, Stable
Compression
Neutral axis – Shear only
I-Beam is very efficient use of
materials
Tension
Strong and Consistent
Optimize strength through
• Engineered design
– Put strongest
components where
stresses are highest
– Configure for efficient
properties
• Randomization of
defects to reduce
variability or increase
reliability
Reliable
Flexible with respect to shape and
size, aesthetics
Value Added Benefits
• More employment/m3
• More value/m3
• Generates value
locally
• Smaller
enterprises
• Lower or no
tariffs/duties
Take advantage of component
properties
Fibre Reinforced Polymer reinforced wood beams
A. Strand Based EWP
1.
Oriented Strand Board (OSB)
• EWP since selected geometry of strands and
orientation of layers of strands - Improvement
over the original “waferboard”
• Special grades used for value-added engineered
products such as I-joists and rim board
• Main deficiency is thickness swelling and
Concentrated Static Load resistance
Reduced variability and increased
reliability
OSB - uses
Sheathing
Rim board
I-Joists
2. Parallel strand lumber (PSL)
• Made from long narrow
strands (from strander
not veneer)
• E.g., Aspen
• Used for window
joinery, headers…
Parallel strand products
3. Parallam ™
• Strips of waste
veneer (1/2” X 1-2’)
• Laid up in large molds
• Phenol Formaldehyde
Resin – Microwave
cure
• Mainly Douglas-fir
and Southern pine
• Extremely strong and
reliable
PARALLAM™
B. Veneer products
1. Plywood
• Flat panel built up of plies of veneer
through bonding
• Cross-laminated for uniform transverse
strength and high dimensional stability
Face
Cross-bands
Core
Back
Veneer
Plywood
2. Laminated Veneer
Lumber (LVL)
– Poplar, Douglas-fir
Southern pine etc.
C. Lumber-based products
1. Finger-joined lumber
2. Machine stress rated lumber (MSR)
3. Trusses
4. Glued laminated timbers
AGO
Combination Products
1. Fibre Reinforced Polymer for Beams
• Failure is usually on tension
face
• Reinforce glulam or solid
timbers with small amounts
(1% to 3% by volume) of
FRP in tension
• Doubles beam bending
strength or reduces beam
size or allow longer span
• Can retrofit existing beams
(e.g. in bridges)
2. I-JOISTS
•
•
•
•
Light
Strong
Long Spans
Easy to put
wiring,
plumbing etc.
through the
web
3. Structural
Insulated
Panels
4. Honey-comb, Sandwich products
http://www.superhoneycomb.com/characteristics.htm
E. Fiber Based EWP
• Fillers and reinforcement
such as natural fibers
embedded in or bonded to
a matrix (polymer, cement
etc.)
• Enhance properties while
lowering cost
.
• Both matrix and fibers
maintain their identity but
produce a combination of
properties not achievable
by one component alone.
Wood particle/fiber cement composites
Some Issues
• Perceived low durability (decay)
• Issues with fire performance of some
composites
• Potential new applications and new
developments
– Design for tall wood buildings (6 story +)
– “Massive components)
– Earthquake stability, hurricane performance, fire,
durability, dimensional stability
– Nano-composites, agri-fiber composites, biomass
based resins and adhesives
Market trend?
Tough time for all construction products
• New home construction ↓
• Renovation ↑ ↓?
• Commercial/residential ↑?
• Infrastructure ↑?
Thank you!
“Spruce Goose” – Resin impregnated and
molded Birch “Microlam”