WHY USE TIMBER?

LONGEVITY
Wood was probably the first material used by humans to construct a bridge. Of the bridges in the United States with spans longer than 20 feet, approximately 12 percent of them (or 71,200 bridges) are made of timber. In the USDA Forest Service, approximately 7,500 timber bridges are in use, and more are built each year. The railroads have more than 1,500 miles of timber bridges and trestles in service. More than 1,000 Timber vehicular Bridges 90 years old or older are still in service throughout the U.S. Today, Bridge Builders' modern technology and advanced construction techniques are making timber bridges stronger, more durable, maintenance-free and environmentally friendly than ever before.

STRENGTH
Timber's strength, light weight, and energy-absorbing properties make it highly desirable for bridge construction. Timber can meet the same structural requirements as any other building material, such as conformance with AASHTO HS20-44 or HL-93 standards and greater when required. This designation means that Bridge Builders' timber vehicular bridges are suitable for continuous traffic of 3-4 axle vehicles.

DURABILITY
Wood is inherently very durable when properly protected. Bridge Builders' highly advanced treatments extend the life of the timbers protecting wood against rotting, shrinking, twisting, insect attack and everyday exposure to the elements. Using modern application techniques and preservative chemicals, wood can now be effectively protected from deterioration for periods of 50 years or longer. Properly treated timber will not crumble like concrete, will not rust like steel and can be used in any environment regardless of climate.. Wood is not damaged by continuous freezing and thawing and resists harmful effects of de-icing agents, which cause deterioration in other bridge materials.

LOW MAINTENANCE
Wood treated with preservatives requires little maintenance and no painting. Unlike steel, it will not rust.

FIRE RESISTANT
Contrary to popular belief, large wood members provide good fire resistance qualities that meet or exceed those of other materials in severe fire exposures.

COST COMPETITIVE
From an economic standpoint, wood is competitive with other materials on a first-cost basis and shows advantages when life cycle costs are compared. The prices of steel and concrete have increased but the price of timber has remained relatively stabile.

TIMBER BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION IS QUICK

Design constraints of using steel or concrete will slow down the installation process, whereas timber is a readily available resource and installation will not delay your project. Timber bridge construction can occur in virtually any weather conditions, without detriment to the material. Our team of experienced professionals responsible for design, engineering, management, and the highest quality of workmanship by our crews, ensures the successful on-time, cost-effective completion of your project.

VERSATILITY
Bridge Builders offers various types of guard rails, roof designs, lumber types (including composites) and span types, as well as numerous other options that will add to the beauty, usefulness and versatility of your design. Technological advances in laminating over the past four decades have further increased the suitability and performance of wood for modern vehicular bridges. Glulam, an engineered timber product, provides greater strength than sawn lumber for longer span applications. Glulam is manufactured by laminating individual pieces of sawn lumber together with waterproof structural adhesives. Glulam is available in a wide range of lengths, widths, and depths.

TIMBER BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION - ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE

Our timber pilings can be driven into almost any environment, and are often approved for permits when steel pilings are not. Bridge Builders pioneered the concept of top down timber bridge construction, which allows us to build with minimal impact to the land. Bridge Builders timber bridges fit beautifully in their natural settings and are installed in a manner that helps preserve some of our nations prime environmentally sensitive areas and wetlands.

SOURCE: http://www.bridgebuilders.com/why_timber.php

Why use Engineered Lumber Products? Design Capabilities Increased strength and stiffness Design Capabilities Larger members Why use Engineered Lumber Products?

 Consistency of Product Reduce swelling / shrinkage problems More predictable performance Less waste Use all material More efficient construction Environmental Issues & Availability Reduced availability of old-growth timber Use more wood fiber Use undervalued species http://www.eng.auburn.edu/users/staylor/structural_composite_lumber.PDF Wood is a renewable building material whose structural properties vary by species, natural growth characteristics and manufacturing practices. Design values for most species and grades of visually graded structural lumber products are determined in accordance with ASTM standardsincluding D 1990 Establishing Allowable Properties for Visually Graded Dimension Lumber from In-Grade Tests of Full-Size Specimens, D 245 Establishing Structural Grades and Related Allowable Properties for Visually Graded Lumber, and D 2555 Establishing Clear Wood Strength Valueswhich consider the effects of strength reducing characteristics, size, load duration, safety and other influencing factors. The applicable standards are based on results of tests conducted in cooperation with the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Design Values for Wood Construction, a supplement to the ANSI/AF&PA National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS) provides these lumber design values, which are recognized by the model building codes. There Are six published lumber design vAlues: bending (Fb) When loads are applied, structural members bend, producing tension in the fibers along the face farthest from the applied load, and compression in the fibers along the face nearest to the applied load. These induced stresses are designated as extreme fiber stress in bending (Fb). Single member Fb design values are used in design where the strength of an individual piece, such as a beam, may be solely responsible for carrying a specific design load. Repetitive member Fb design values are used in design when three or more load sharing members, such as joists, rafters, or studs, are spaced no more than 24 inches apart and are joined by flooring, sheathing or other load-distributing elements. Repetitive member stresses are also used where three or more pieces are adjacent, such as decking and built-up beams.

Shear parallel to grain (Fv) Shear parallel to grain, or horizontal shear stresses, tend to slide wood fibers over each other horizontally. High applied shear stresses most often limit design in short, heavilyloaded, deep beams. Increasing a beams cross-section decreases its applied shear stresses. Compression perpendicular to grain (Fc-perp) Where a joist, beam or similar wood member bears on supports, the load tends to compress the fibers. The bearing area must be sufficient in size to prevent crushing perpendicular to the grain (e.g., a sill plate with studs bearing down on it). Compression parallel to grain (Fc) In many parts of a structure, members transfer loads from end to end compressing the fibers. Examples include studs, posts, columns and struts. Applied stresses from this type of loading are generally considered consistent across the entire cross-section of the member, and the fibers are uniformly stressed parallel to the grain along the full length of the member. Tension parallel to grain (Ft) Tensile stresses are similar to compression parallel to grain in that they act across the full cross-section and tend to stretch the member. \ Modulus of elasticity (e and emin) Modulus of elasticity (also known as Youngs Modulus) measures the ratio of the amount a wood member will deflect in proportion to an applied load. E is a measurement of stiffness and not a strength property. E represents average properties, and Emin is the fifth percentile property. Emin is the modulus of elasticity for beam and column stability calculations. Published design values assume normal conditions of usewhich include a dry environment and the absence of special and/or environmental loading conditions such as wind, seismic and snow and represent cumulative load duration of 10 years. As with all design values, where other conditions exist, the values must be adjusted. Other Considerations Many factors influence how a system responds to loading. It is important to realize that the way building professionals select and use materials will influence performance as well as cost. section properties These properties relate to the geometry of section. For example, a 2x4 flat-wise is not nearly as stiff or strong as a 2x4 on edge, even though it has the same material properties. The difference is the geometry or orientation of the member. This is the same reason a 2x6 is stiffer and stronger than a 2x4, given the same orientation. e (modulus of elasticity) of individual elements E relates to the stiffness of a material, which is a measure of deformation caused by a given load. A material with a higher E value is stiffer. For example, No. 2 grade Eastern white pine has an E value of 1,100,000 psi and No. 2 Hem-Fir has an E value of 1,300,000 psi. Hem-Fir is a stiffer material. Fb (bending design value) As indicated above under Properties and Performance, loads cause beams, joists and rafters to bend. An Fb value indicates design strength for the outmost (or extreme) wood fibers. The higher the Fb, the stronger the wood member in bending.

 lumber grade Lumber grades are assigned based on visual inspection and/or mechanical testing. Physical strength and stiffness characteristics are the primary considerations for structural lumber and appearance is secondary. Some manufacturers sort Machine StressRated (MSR) lumber nondestructively using mechanical stress-rating equipment to measure the lumbers stiffness and other physical working properties before they do a visual inspection. The grade stamp will include the phrase http://www.woodworks.org/files/PDF/publications/Wood-design-structural-properties-performancefact-sheet.pdf