Timber designs

Part 2
Material strengths
The characteristic values of strengths given in EN 338 are related to a
depth in bending and width in tension of 150 mm. For depths in bending
or widths in tension of solid timber, h, less than 150 mm the
characteristic bending and tension strengths may be increased by the
factor kh given.
The characteristic strengths, Xk, are converted to design values, Xd, by
dividing by a partial factor, M and multiplying by a factor k mod, Note
that M is not simply a partial factor for materials but also takes
account of modelling and geometric uncertainties.
EC 5, like BS 5268, allows the design strengths determined using
equation 11.3 to be multiplied by a number of other factors as
appropriate such as kcrit , kv , kc,90 and the loading sharing factor, ksys,
where several equally spaced similar members are able to resist a
common load. Typical members which fall into this category may
include joists in flat roofs or floors with a maximum span of 0.6m and
wall studs with a maximum height of 4m. According to clause 6.6 of EC
5 a value of ksys = 1.1 may generally be assumed.

kmod takes into account the effect on strength parameters of the

duration of load and the environmental conditions that the structure will
experience in service. EC 5
Service classes which are the same as those in BS 5268, and five load
duration classes, which differ from those in BS 5268 are introduced in
EC5
Where a load combination consists of actions belonging to different load
duration classes the value of kmod should correspond to the action with
the shortest duration. For example, for a permanent load and medium-
term combination, a value of kmod corresponding to the medium-term
load should be used.
Ultimate limit states
1.Design for tension

Structural members subjected to direct pulling. These are the most

efficient of structural elements since they are mainly subjected to
uniform tensile stress throughout the cross section. It is also the
simplest form to design.

A tension member can fail due to inadequate tensile stress or

inadequate cross section

However tensile members can not prevail in isolation. Those need to be

connected to other members and these connections often cause loss of
tensile capacity due to loss of area that occurs at the bolt holes.
Bending can also be induced in a tension member due to eccentric
connections and transverse loading like self weight. So members might
have to be designed for combined effects of tension and bending

In some situations specially in bracings, the members that were

identified as were in tensile force will have to withstand compression as
well as the loading direction changes . So such members should be
checked for both tension and compression.

Tension members to be designed are

-tension chords and internal tie members in trusses and lattice girders
in buildings, bridges and towers.
-ceiling ties

Timber tension members are usually rectangular in shape.

Check for tension
Extracted from EC 5
2. Design for compression

A compression member is a structural element that is subjected to

direct pushing.

A compressive member fails mainly due to member crushing or member

buckling in an overall flexural mode.

The tendency for overall flexural buckling depends on the flexibility of

the material and the geometry of the member. The geometry of the
member includes,

-length of the member

-type of restraints at the end of the members and also intermediate
positions
-cross sectional area and shape
Not necessary
Most codes of practice introduce the concept of effective length and
slenderness to take into account the effect of the geometry of the
member.

The effective length is taken as some proportion of the actual length,

corresponding to the type end restraints.

The slenderness is defined as the ratio of effective length to the radius

of gyration

A large slenderness ratio indicates a greater instability and tendency to

buckle under lower axial loads.
Compression members in timber
-Compression chords and internal members in trusses and lattice
girders in buildings
-Props in formwork and falsework
Check for compression

where

y and rel,y : are slenderness ratios corresponding to bending about the

y-axis (deflection in z direction)
z and rel,z : are slenderness ratios corresponding to bending about the
z-axis (deflection in y direction)
E0,05 :is the fifth percentile value of the modulus of elasticity
parallel to the grain.
The slenderness ratio, , is given by:

Where
lef : the effective length
I : radius of gyration

EC 5 does not include a method for determining the effective length of

an element. Therefore, designers will have to refer to the
recommendation in BS 5268: Part 2.

Where both rel,z and rel,y are less than or equal to 0.3, elements
subjected to compressive load only should satisfy the following
condition:
In cases where either rel,z or rel,y exceeds 0.3, the element should
satisfy the more stringent of the following:
3. Bearing pressure/ Compression perpendicular to grain

For compression perpendicular to the grain the following condition

should be satisfied:

The factor kc,90 principally takes into account the effect of support
position and bearing length on bearing strength. For example in the
case of a beam b wide and h deep, resting on end and internal
supports, bearing length l and overhang a h/3 kc,90 at the end
support is given by following expressions
Clause 6.1.5(4) of EC 5 gives details of other member arrangements
and associated expressions for kc,90. In all cases the higher value of
kc,90 will apply but with an upper limit of 4. If none of the member
arrangements are appropriate, however, the value of kc,90 should be
taken as 1.
where Aef is the effective contact area in compression perpendicular to
the grain and the other symbols are as defined above,

According to the amended clause 6.1.5, Aef should be determined

taking into account an effective contact length parallel to the grain,
where the contact length, l, at each side is increased by 30 mm but not
more than a, l or l1/2. The value of kc,90 should generally be taken as
1.0. For members on discrete supports, provided l1 2h, the value of
kc,90 may be taken as 1.5 for solid support softwood timber. Other
values apply for members on continuous supports and for glued
laminated softwood timber.