Notching on Beams

Notching
Notching
 can affect the strength of a wood beam
 Can cause stress concentration
 A note on building plans should prohibit the
cutting or notching of any structural
member unless it is specifically detailed on
the structural plans
Sawn lumber

Glulam
Notching on Sawn Lumber
Bending members shall not be notched except as
permitted by NSCP 617.4.3.
 End notches, located at the ends of sawn lumber bending
members for bearing over a support, shall be permitted, and
shall not exceed ¼ the beam depth
 Interior notches, located in the outer third of the span of a
single span sawn lumber bending member, shall be
permitted and shall not exceed 1/6 of the depth of the
member.
Section 616.2.3
The stiffness of a bending member, as determined
from its cross-section, is practically unaffected by a
notch with the ff. dimensions:

notch depth < (1/6)(beam depth)

notch length < (1/3)(beam depth)
Notching Limitations
Notching on Glued Laminated Lumber
According to NSCP 618.4.5
 The tension side of structural glued laminated timber
bending members shall not be notched, except at end
members for bearing over a support, and notch depth
shall not exceed the lesser of 1/10 the depth of member
or 75 mm.
 The compression side of structural glued laminated timber
bending members shall not be notched, except at ends of
members, and notch depth on compression side shall not
exceed 2/5 the depth of the member.
 Compression side end-notches shall not extend into the
middle 1/3 of span.
Notching on Glued Laminated Lumber
Exception:

 A taper cut on the compression edge at the end of a

structural glued laminated timber bending member shall
not exceed 2/3 the depth of the member.
 Length shall not exceed three times the depth of the
member, 3d.
Notching on Glulam
Using NSCP 2010/2015

When rectangular shaped girder, beams or joists are

notched at points of support on the tension side

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When girders, beams or joists are notched at a point of
support on the compression side, the shear at such
point shall not exceed.
 

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When circular cross section girder, beams or joists are
notched at points of support on the tension side

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Sample Problem 1
A 150 mm x 350 mm wooden beam carries a concentrated
load of 30.36 kN at its midspan. It has a simple span of 8 m.
long. Allowable shear stress is 0.85 Mpa.

Solve for
1) depth of notches at the support if notching is allowed using the
NSCP specifications.
2) allowable depth of notches at the bottom and top faces of the beam
at quarter points.
3) Flexural stress at the quarter points after deducting for notching.
Solution
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Solution
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Solution
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Sample Problem 2
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Solution
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Solution
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Solution
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Sample Problem 3
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Solution
 
Solution
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 Solution
2. Distance from support of beam where vertical hole is bored without
weakening the shear strength of the beam

   
Solution
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