4 TIMBER & WOOD

LEARNING OUTCOME
At the end of this lecture, students should be
able to understand and explain;

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.

Structure of wood
Types of wood
Physical properties of wood
Wood product
Preservation treatment of timber
Testing of timber and wood

COURSE OUTCOME
CO2: Describe the basic
science and engineering
fundamentals pertaining to
other construction material
namely steel, timber, bricks
and bitumen and its influence
to their properties.

programme OUTCOME

PO1: Ability to acquire

and apply basic
knowledge of
science, mathematics
and engineering

INTRODUCTION
One of the oldest structural materials
still in use.

Timber is unique in its structure

and mode of growth.
Timber characteristics and properties
are distinct and more complex than
those of other common structural
materials such as concrete, steel and
brickwork.

Timber can be used for many purposes in

building construction. Some of the
applications are:
i. Foundation piles
ii. Structural components such as beams,
columns, etc.
iii. Roofing rafters, ties, struts, purlins and
bracing.
iv. Flooring
v. Walling
vi. Ceiling
vii.Door and windows

It has:
I. Light weight
II. Excellent insulating properties
III.Good fire resistance
IV. Aesthetic appeal
.However, timber is very sensitive to
environmental conditions
.E.g. timber is very sensitive to the
moisture content which it gives a direct
effect on the strength and stiffness,
swelling or shrinkage of the timber.

STRUCTURE OF WOOD
The source of structural timber are
coming from the mature trees (wood)
of any species.
Essential for the engineer to have a
knowledge of the nature and growth
patterns of trees.
Basically, there are 3 subsystems:
1. Roots
2. Trunk
3. Crown

 The trunk is the most important for

engineers.
Wood is composed of long thin
tabular cells.
The cross section of a trunk:

 In temperate countries, a tree

produces a new layer of wood just
under the barkin the early part of
every growing season. This
process will produce a visible
concentric rings known as
annular rings, annual rings or
growth rings.
In tropical countries where trees grow
throughout the year, a tree produces
wood cells that are essentially
uniform. The age of a tree may be
determined by counting its growth
rings.

The annular band of crosssection nearest to the bark is

called sapwood. It acts as a
medium of transportation
for sap from the roots to
the leaves.
The central core of the wood
which is inside the sapwood is
heartwood. It functions
mainly to give mechanical
support or stiffness to the
trunk.

TYPES OF WOOD
1)Softwood
Low density timber with relatively low
strength.
Poor durability qualities unless treated.
2) Hardwood
High density timber and high strength.
Less dependency in preservatives for
improving durability in properties.
Tropical wood
Expensive

CLASSIFICATION OF MALAYSIAN TIMBERS

Malaysian timbers are classified

into four categories:
1. Heavy Hardwoods (HHW)
2. Medium Hardwoods (MHW)
3. Light Hardwoods (LHW)
4. Softwoods (SW)

The classification of the three

categories of Hardwoods is based
largely on the average density of the
timbers at 15% moisture content.

LAMIN BOARD

GLUE LAMINATED WOOD

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF WOOD

Timbers strength is dependent on
many factors which act in dependently
or in conjunction with others which is:
1. Moisture content
2. Density
3. Slope of grain
4. Timber defect
5. Timber grading
6. Position in tree
7. Condition of growth

1) Moisture content
.The behavior of timber is
significantly influenced by the
existence and variation of its
moisture content.
.Moisture contained in green timber
is held both within the cells (free
water) and within the cell walls
(bound water).

The condition in which all free water

has been removed but the cell wall
are still saturated is known as the
fibre saturation point(FSP).
At levels of moisture above FSP, most
physical and mechanical properties
remain constant.
Variation in moisture content below
the FSP cause considerable changes
to properties such as weight,
strength, elasticity, shrinkage and
durability.

 The controlled drying of timber is

known as seasoning.
Air seasoning
The timber is stacked and layered
with air-spaced in open sided sheds to
promote natural drying.
This method is relatively inexpensive
with very little loss in the quality of
timber if carried out correctly.
It has disadvantage that the timber
and the space which it occupies are
unavailable for long periods.

2) Density
Major factor determining its strength.
Specific gravity or relative density is a
measure of timbers solid substance.
Expressed as the ratio of the oven-dry weight
to the weight of an equal volume of water.
Since water volume varies with the moisture
content of the timber, the specific gravity of
timber is expressed at a certain moisture
content.
Basic SG of commercial timber ranges from
0.29-0.81.

3) Slope of Grain
Grain is the longitudinal direction of
the main elements of timbers.
If the angle of deviation increases,
the strength will decreases.
For timber having sloping grain of as
little as 1/18, the bending strength is
reduced by 15%.

4) Timber Defects
Defects in timber whether
natural or caused during
conversion or seasoning will
have an effect on structural
strength as well as on fixing,
stability, durability and
finished appearance of
timber.

5) Timber Grading
In order to have a way of selling or
buying the timber product to various
parts of the world, the timber have to
undergone the grading system for
structural applications for
determining the permissible stresses
to a series of grades.
2 types of grading:
Visual grading
Machine grading

6) Position in Tree
In soft wood, the wood from
near the butt of the tree is
usually somewhat denser,
stronger and harder than that
from near the top of the tree.
In the early years of a trees life,
the wood often tends to become
stronger with increasing
distance from the pitch.

7) Condition of Growth
Environmental factors affecting tree
growth, such as height above sealevel, temperature, rainfall, type of
soil, spacing between trees, etc.
Have an effect on the strength of the
properties of the timber, probably
mainly through their effect on
density.

Defects in Timber
Wood have a lot of defect due to the
growing period and during the
conversion and seasoning process.
This defect may cause reduction to its
strength or impairing its appearance.
Defects may be classified as:
i. Natural defects
ii. Chemical defects
iii. Conversion defects
iv. Seasoning defects

1) Natural Defects
Occurs during the growing period.
Cracks and fissures
Occurs in various parts of the tree
and the indication of decaying
process.

Knots
Common features of a wood where
this is the portion of a branch
embedded by the natural growth of
the tree.

Grain defects
Refers to the direction of the fibre
arrangement in wood.
May occurs in the form of twistedgrain, cross-grain, flat-grain and
spiral-grain.

Fungal decay
Occur in growing mature
timber or even in recently
converted timber. It is good
practice to reject such timber.
Annual ring width
This can be critical in respect
of strength in that excess
width of such rings can
reduce the density of the

2) Chemical Defects
Occurs in particular instances when
timber is used in unsuitable positions
or in association with other materials.
Timbers such as Oak and Western Red
Cedar contain tannic acid and other
chemicals which corrode metals.
Gums and resins can inhabit the
working properties of timber and
interfere with the ability to take
adhesives.

3) Conversion Defects
Due to misleading in the milling
techniques in attempting to use
every possible piece of timber
converted from the trunk. A wane is
the example of the conversion
defects.

4) Seasoning Defects
Related to the movements that occurs in a
timber due to changes in moisture
content.
Excessive or uneven drying, expose to
wind and rain, may produce defects or
distortions in timber.
All such defects have an effect on
structural strength as well as on fixiting,
stability, durability and finished
appearance

FACTOR AFFECTING STRENGTH OF TIMBER

1) Density
The higher the density, the higher the mechanical properties.
Young tree very low density and reduced stresses are used
for such material
The weight of timber is reduced by drying and most strength
properties are substantially increased
2)Moisture Content
Moisture content of wood is defined as the weight of water in
wood expressed as a fraction, usually a percentage, of the
weight of oven dry wood.
Can be determine by the oven-dry method or by the electricmoisture-meter method
Weight, shrinkage, strength, and other properties depend
upon the moisture content of wood.

3) Temperature
With increasing temperature, the
strength of timber decreases.
A permanent loss of strength may
result if wood is held at a high
temperature for a long period.
4) Grain Structure
Grain structure determines the
permissible and modulus of
elasticity.

5) Position in Tree
In softwoods, the wood from near the butt
of the tree is usually some what denser,
stronger and harder than that from near
the top of the tree and in the early years of
a trees life the wood often tends to
become stronger with increasing distance
from the pitch.
6) Conditions of Growth
Environmental factors affecting tree
growth, such as height above sea-level,
temperature, rainfall, type of soil and
spacing between trees.

WOOD PRODUCT
Wood based panel products are sheet
materials which contain a significant
amount of wood in the form of strip,
veneers, chips, flakes or fibres.
The categories usually recognized
within this group of board materials
are plywood, glue laminated timber,
particleboard and fibre building
boards.

1) Plywood
Plywood is defined as a wood based
panel product consisting of an
assembly of plies bonded together.
Plies maybe some or all of which are
wood.
Includes core plywood such as block
board and laminboard.
Plywood is a versatile product that can
combine attractive surface appearance
with superior performance under
hazardous conditions.

2) Glue Laminated Timber

Refers to structural and non-structural
members formed by gluing together boards
in such manner that grain directions in all
boards are substantially parallel by the use
of arrange of adhesive to:
i. Increase strength
ii. Improve functional properties
iii. Enhance permissible stresses
. This depend on:
i. Laminated form of construction
ii. Availability of suitable adhesives
iii. The geometry of the built-up forms

PRESERVATION OF TIMBER
Method of treating timber:
1. Pressure Processes.
- Apply pressure greater than atmospheric.
2. Non-Pressure Processes.
a) The hot and cold bath treatment.
- Placed in a tank of hot preservative and
heated there for some hours.
- At the end of the heating period, the timber
removed to a separate tank containing cold
preservative or left down in the same tank.

b) steeping/soaking in water soluble

preservative.
- This method consist of immersing the dry
timber in a tank of preservative, removing,
draining and allowing to dry.
- Duration normally 2 weeks and usually
done with preservative of the aqueous
solution type.

Method of Treating Timber

Brush and spray.
Immersion.
Hot and cold open tank.
Pressure vacuum treatments.
Diffusion process.

Testing of timber & wood

Mechanical Testing
Wood is tested to predict performance
two main techniques
testing of timbers of structural sizes (ASTM D 198)
testing of representative, small, clear specimens
(ASTM D 143)
Testing of structural-size members is more important
more applicable to design values
Tests include flexure, compression, tension, etc.
Flexure test is more commonly used than the other
tests
Two-point, third-point, or center-point loading

Third-point bending test on a 4 x 6 wood lumber

Testing Representative, Small, Clear

Specimens
Compression
parallel
to grain

Hardness
perpendicular
to grain

Compression
perpendicular
to grain

Tension
perpendicula
r
to grain
Tension parallel Hardness parallel
to grain
to grain
49

Bending

(Q&A)