Timber and Timber Construction
Introduction
✓ Timber is a wood suitable for building and other
engineering use is called
✓ Wood is the first known material that used for
construction of shelter.
✓ Now a days It is widely used for roof truss, panel,
formwork, scaffolding and cabinet, cladding, flooring, etc.
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Components of Tree
✓ Pith:-is innermost portion of the stem of a tree.
✓ Cambium:-Just inside the inner bark.
✓ Outer bark:-It is the outermost portion of a tree.
✓ Inner bark
✓ Sapwood:-The layer under the cambium that carries the sap and
store food.
✓ Heartwood:-it’s the inner portion the tree between the pith and
sapwood.
✓ Annual rings (growth rings):-So-called because they are
arranged in concentric circles around the pith.
✓ Rays (modularly rays):-These are thin, parallel radial bands.
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Wood Structure
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Classification
Trees growing in Ethiopia classified into two:
1. Endogenous or inward growing trees such as (palms and bamboos)
2. Exogenous or outward growing trees which make the bulk of the commercially
available material for building purpose.
Timber from exogenous trees is divided into two:
I. Hardwoods
II.Soft wood
✓ Softwoods: are obtained from coniferous tree that have long and narrow pointed
leaves.
• Their density vary from 350 to700 kg/m3 at 15% moisture content
• Are strong in tension but rather weak in shear
✓ Hard woods are from broad-leaved trees
• Their density vary from 400 to 1250 kg/m3 at 15% moisture
• Are capable of resisting all stress equally well
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Timber Construction Technology
Lumber Production: timber that has been cut into boards, planks or
other structural members of standard length that used as a
building material.
Lumber production
✓ Logging & Transporting to sawmill
✓ Sawing/milling
✓ Seasoning/Drying
✓ Surfacing
✓ Grading
✓ Preservation (Optional)
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Defects in Timber
Types of defects
✓ Growth / Natural Defects – wind, abnormal growth
✓ Production defects-felling, sawing or drying process
Growth Defects
Knots: portions of branch over which the tree has grown. Reduce
wood strength, desirable for appearance.
Decay: fungus, which feeds on wood fiber. Cause softening, loss of
strength, weight and change of texture and color.
Damage: due to insects such as beetle, termite & marine organisms
Production Defects
Cracks occur in various parts of trees
Warping: distortion of wood from the desired plane.
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Preservation of Timber:
✓Timber used for construction purposes should be preserved
and protected.
✓Preservation is treating wood with solutions (preservatives)
to increase its durability
Seasoning of Wood
✓ Green tree contains a high percentage of water by weight.
✓ Once a tree is felled, an irregular loss of water takes place
leading to irregularity and shrinkage.
✓ Became comfortable for growth of micro organisms
✓ logs should be converted soon after felling
✓ Seasoning minimizes shrinkage through uniform drying and
moisture content should be between (12%-18%).
Two methods of drying are generally used which are:
1. Air drying or Natural seasoning
2. Kiln drying or artificial seasoning
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Properties of Timber and Timber Products
Strength Properties of Timber
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Properties of Timber and Timber Products
Strength of timber based on type of loading
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Engineered Wood Products
Engineered products are manufactured by bonding (glued together with
resin or adhesive) together wood veneers, strands, lumber, wood
particles/chips or fibers to produce large and integral units.
✓ Veneers are thin sheets of wood, from 0.5 mm to 5 mm that are
peeled off, sliced, cut or sawn from a log of wood.
✓ Used as finishing materials or cover to timber surfaces of inferior
quality.
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Engineered Wood Products
Plywood
✓Veneers are also used for
making plywood.
✓In the plywood the different
plies are arranged in such a
way that the grains of the
veneers are the right angles
to each other.
✓This arrangement gives the
plywood considerable
strength in compression,
tension as well as bending.
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Engineered Wood Products
Chipboard/Hardboard: manufactured from wood wastes
obtained from saw mills, inferior timber or small logs.
✓ In this case, the dried material is converted into fibers.
✓ The fibers are then mixed with binders (synthetic resins)
✓ Pressed into 10 to 25 mm thick boards in hydraulic presses
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Advantages and disadvantages of timber as a
construction material
Advantages of wood
✓ High strength/weight ratio
✓ Easy to cut
✓ Good finishes and appearance
✓ Low heat and electrical conductivity
✓ High durability if properly treated
Disadvantages of wood
✓ Easy to catch fire (Combustibility)
✓ Susceptibility to attack by fungi and insects
✓ Shrinkage & swelling
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Advantages and disadvantages of timber Structures
Advantages
✓ Quick erection time
✓ Reduced site labor
✓ Reduced construction waste
✓ Easily converted to any shape
✓ Economical and cheap
✓ High strength to weight ratio
✓ Light weight structural members
✓ Easy alteration and repairs
✓ Energy efficient in its production
✓ Nonconductor of heat and sound
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Advantages and disadvantages of timber Structures
Disadvantages
✓ Additional design and engineering time
✓ Susceptible to decay
✓ Very likely to warp and crack
✓ Not fire resistant
✓ Requires regular maintenance
✓ Lack of experience of following trades
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