INTRODUCTION TO

TIMBER DESIGN
LECTURE 1
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• To define timber as a structural material

• To enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of timber
• To visualize the structure and the cross-section of a tree trunk
• To know the types of timber
 INTRODUCTION
Timber (as a structural material) :
Oldest known material used in construction
Unlike steel and concrete, timber are very sensitive to
environmental conditions
 Direct effect on strength and stiffness, swelling or shrinkage of timber
Uses: beams, columns, trusses, girders and building systems such
as piles, deck members, railway foundations, and temporary forms
 INTRODUCTION
Timber (as beams and girders) :
 INTRODUCTION
Timber (as columns) :
 INTRODUCTION
Timber (as railway foundations) :
 INTRODUCTION
Timber (as trusses) :
 ADVANTAGES
Timber (as a structural material) :

Renewable Easily shaped, repaired altered

Durable and readily available Resistance to oxidation and
High Strength to weight ratio corrosive agents
Good insulating properties Shock resistance
 DISADVANTAGES
Timber (as a structural material) :
Flammable
Can decay or rot (due to moisture and insects)
Susceptible to volumetric instability (timber shrinks)
Properties are highly variable between species and even between
trees of the same species.
Variation in strength within the cross section of a tree log
TIMBER STRUCTURE
Cross-section of mature tree trunk:
TIMBER STRUCTURE
Types of Timber
TIMBER STRUCTURE
Types of Timber
TIMBER STRUCTURE
Types of Timber
TIMBER STRUCTURE
Types of Timber
 TIMBER STRUCTURE
Growth Rings
Determine the age of the tree by counting the rings
More than one ring may formed in one season due to drought or
defoliation by insects
 −Inner rings usually do not have sharply defined boundaries (false rings)
 −Trees with very small crowns or accidentally lost most of its foliage may form an
incomplete growth layer (discontinuous rings)

Early wood: large cavities, thin walls

Late wood: small cavities, thick walls
 TIMBER STRUCTURE
Wood Cells or Grains
Structural elements of wood tissue
Dry wood cells maybe empty or partly filled with deposits such as
resins and gums
Majority are considerably elongated and pointed at the ends
 Fibers or tracheids (softwood) and vessel (hardwood)
 HOMEWORK # 1
• Cite examples of softwood and hardwood use here in the
Philippines. (at least 3 examples each type)
• Include pictures and some information about it.
• Online submission, pdf or word.
• Deadline: next meeting, March 4, 2019.