Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
rigidity during changes of moisture
content must be guaranteed.
Although softwood is mostly used,
certain hardwoods can be used in
small structures; they can save use
of material, as they have a greater
tensile strength than softwood.
A new form of heavy timber floor
construction has been recently
developed in Germany consisting
of low quality planks nailed togeth-
er to form 8-15 cm thick slabs. They
can have a span of up to 12 meters
and can also be used in walls and
roofs. The surfaces can be sanded
down and used as they are without
any further finish or they can be
covered with a screed on insulation board. Because of its solidity the structure
has proven good properties. This technique has been used in Sweden for five
storey housing units. The timber used can have the lowest quality, e.g. waste
from saw mills or sitka-(norw.) spruce (
Picea sitchensis
). The construction method
Figure 13.41: Traditional way of filling spaces with brick in a
timber framed building in Denmark.
Figure 13.42: Different forms of modern timber framework. Bracing by boarding or diagonals.
