Course content

• Properties of timber as a building material
• Wood mechanics
• Engineering wood products
• Timber components and timber structural systems
• Design of cross-sections and stability of timber components
• Introduction to timber connections
• Structural fire design of timber components

Learning outcome

Timber Structures provides the fundamental knowledge related to the material properties of wood and engineering wood products, wood mechanics and wood-based structural systems. The course provides the basis for the analysis and Ultimate limit State design of timber components according to Eurocode 5.

Timber Structures has the following learning objectives:

Knowledge. The students shall have knowledge about:

• Timber as a structural material: environmental properties and contribution to sustainable construction, micro- and macro- structure of wood, defects, anisotropy, mechanical properties, failure modes, moisture effects, time-dependent effects (creep and stress relaxation), durability.
• Strength-grading.
• Engineering wood products and their properties: solid timber, glued-laminated timber, cross-laminated timber, laminated veneer lumber, plywood, timber panels, etc.
• Timber components and timber structural systems (beams, columns, trusses, portal frames, arches, light-timber frames, cross-laminated timber buildings, post-and-beam systems, bracing systems).
• Resistance of cross-sections subjected to axial or shear force, bending or torsional moment, as well as combination of these.
• Stability of timber members, subjected to axial compression or bending moment, as well as combinations of these.
• Typology and basic principles of timber connections.
• Mechanical behavior of timber components exposed to fire.

Skills. The students shall be able to:

• Perform all necessary Ultimate-Limit State design verifications of timber components, according to Eurocode 5 and determine the necessary cross-sectional dimensions.
• Identify and assess the implications of anisotropy, moisture and time-dependent effects, on the response of timber components.
• Propose structural timber systems (e.g. trusses, portal-frames, arches, post-and-beam systems, CLT-based systems) and describe the transfer of gravity and lateral loads to the foundation.
• Carry out simple Finite Element Analysis and determine load effects of timber structures.

General competence:

• The theoretical foundation for analysis and design of timber components.
• Structural design of timber components.
• The background for relevant clauses in Eurocode 5.

Digital competence:

• Modelling of timber systems, by skilled use of Finite Element software. 1st order linear-elastic analysis, linearized-buckling analysis and simple 2nd order analysis.

Sustainability competence:

• Safe, cost-effective, and material-efficient design of timber components.
• Evaluating the feasibility of using timber for simple structures, to take advantage of wood being a renewable material with low greenhouse gas emissions.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, exercises (hand calculations and PC) and laboratory demonstration.

2/3 of assignments must be approved for admittance to examination. Teaching materials are provided in English. Students are free to choose Norwegian or English for written assessments.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic knowledge of statics and structural mechanics corresponding to MEKT1201 Mechanics 1 og BYGT2101 Structural Engineering. Basic knowledge of loads and load combinations corresponding to BYGT2101 Structural Engineering.

Course materials

Eurocode 5 (parts EN 1995-1-1 and EN 1995-2, amendments and Norwegian National Annex) and related standards.

Lecture notes and presentations given during the semester.

Recommended supplementary textbooks:

- KIT,Blaß and Sandhaas: Timber Engineering - Principles for Design, ISBN 978-3-7315-0673-7

- Swedish Wood, Design of Timber Structures, ISBN 978-91-985212-5-2

Credit reductions