ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES:

FORM, BEHAVIOR, AND DESIGN

ARCH 331
DR. ANNE NICHOLS
SUMMER 2014
lecture
thirteen
wood construction:
column design
Wood Columns 1 Architectural Structures Su2014abn
Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Compression Members (revisited)
• designed for strength & stresses
• designed for serviceability & deflection
• need to design for stability
– ability to support a
specified load
without sudden or
unacceptable
deformations

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Effect of Length (revisited)
• long & slender • short & stubby

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Critical Stresses (revisited)
• when a column gets stubby, crushing will limit
the load
• real world has loads
with eccentricity

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Bracing (revisited)
• bracing affects shape of buckle
in one direction
• both should be checked!

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Wood Columns
• slenderness ratio = L/dmin
– d1 = smallest dimension
– le/d  50 (max)
P
f c   Fc
A
– where Fc is the allowable
compressive strength
parallel to the grain
– bracing common
– posts, round, built-up
Wood Columns 6 Architectural Structures Su2014abn
Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Allowable Wood Stress
Fc  Fc C D C M C t C F C p 
• where:
Fc = compressive strength
parallel to grain
CD = load duration factor
CM = wet service factor
(1.0 dry)
Ct = temperature factor
CF = size factor
Cp = column stability factor (Table 10.3)

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Strength Factors
• wood properties and load duration, CD
– short duration
• higher loads
– normal duration
• > 10 years

• stability, Cp
http://www.swst.org/teach/set2/struct1.html
– combination curve - tables
Fc  Fc C p  Fc C D C p
 *

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Cp Charts – Appendix A

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Column Charts – Appendix A, 12 & 13

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Procedure for Analysis
1. calculate Le/dmin
– KL/d each axis, choose largest
2. obtain F´c
K cE E
– compute FcE 
• KcE =0.3 sawn
Le 2
d  
• KcE = 0.418 glu-lam
3. compute Fc*  FcCD
4. calculate FcE/Fc* and get Cp (Table 14)
5. calculate Fc  Fc C p
*

Wood Columns 11 Architectural Structures Su2014abn

Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Procedure for Analysis (cont’d)
6. compute Pallowable = FcA
• or find factual = P/A
7. is P  Pallowable? (or factual  Fc?)
• yes: OK
• no: overstressed & no good

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Procedure for Design
1. guess a size (pick a section)
2. calculate Le/dmin
– KL/d each axis, choose largest
3. obtain F´c K cE E
– compute FcE 
• KcE =0.3 sawn
Le 2
d  
• KcE = 0.418 glu-lam
4. compute Fc*  FcCD
5. calculate FcE/Fc* and get Cp (Table 14)
Wood Columns 13 Architectural Structures Su2014abn
Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Procedure for Design (cont’d)
6. compute Fc  Fc C p
*

7. compute Pallowable = FcA

• or find factual = P/A
8. is P  Pallowable? (or factual  Fc?)
• yes: OK
• no: pick a bigger section and go back to step 2.

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Timber Construction by Code
• light-frame
– light loads
– 2x’s
– floor joists – 2x6, 2x8,
2x10, 2x12 typical at
spacings of 12”, 16”, 24”
– normal spans of 20-25 ft or 6-7.5 m
– plywood spans between joists
– stud or load-bearing masonry walls
– limited to around 3 stories – fire safety
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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Design of Columns with Bending
• satisfy
– strength
– stability
• pick
– section

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Design
• Wood
2
 fc  f bx
    1 .0
 Fc  Fbx 1  f c 
 FcEx 

[] term – magnification factor for P-

F’bx – allowable bending strength

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Design Steps Knowing Loads
1. assume limiting stress
• buckling, axial stress,
combined stress
2. solve for r, A or S
3. pick trial section
4. analyze stresses
5. section ok?
6. stop when section is ok

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Laminated Timber Arches
• two & three hinged
arches
• bent to wide range of
curves
• bending and
compression
• residual stress from
laminating, Cc

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Lecture 13 ARCH 331
Laminated Arch Design
• radius of curvature, R, limited by lam
thickness, t
– R = 100t – southern pine & hardwoods
– R = 125t – softwood
• r = radius to inside face
of laminations 2
• C  1  2000 t 
C
r
• Fb’ = Fb(CFCc)
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Lecture 13 ARCH 331