Industrialized Timber Structures

About the report:

It was recently learned that a number of innovations in structural timber components are available to the construction industry, but that they were largely unknown to bridge designers. The purpose of this study was to develop for the Department a feasibility document that presented the latest technology in industrialized structural timber components. In addition, cost information on the most feasible timber system was to be presented. This work was carried out by the American Institute of Timber Construction (AITC), and the system selected by the AITC was one featuring glue-laminated timber deck panels on either glue laminated timber girders or on steel girders where deck replacement would bring an in-service bridge up to acceptable standards. The glulam process embodies a number of industrialized construction precepts, including the following: 1. All components can be prefabricated in a form ready for rapid on-site assembly, which is particularly advantageous for emergency repairs; 2. rapid on-site assembly minimizes on-site labor costs and construction time, and 3. assembly of modular glulam units can be accomplished at the construction site by semiskilled labor and with unusually light construction equipment. The Department's Bridge Division is currently considering several sites for field trial of the glulam concepts.

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