TIMBER / WOOD
A Natural and Sustainable Building Material
TIMBER
Advantages dis - Advantages
Natural and renewable
Decay-able – organic
Low heat conductivity
Inflammable
Low bulk density
In short supply
High strength
Some say not advisable
Easy to work with help as jungles destroyed
of mechanical tools
Not uniform strength
RECYCLABLE across length and fibers
Moisture prone
properties
WEDNESDAY
COMPLETE THE DRWING SHEET WITH
MODULAR MASONRY
CONCRETE BLOCKS
MUD BLOCKS
RAT TRAP BOND
Trees
EXOGENOUS ENDOGENOUS
- Palm
- Coconut
- Cane
CONIFERS DECIDUOUS - Bamboo
SOFT WOODS HARD WOODS
- Pine - Teak
- Chil - Mahogany
- Fir - Oak
- Deodar - Sal
- Sisam
- Babul
TREE
Comparison of soft and hard wood
Property Softwood Hardwood
1 Annual rings Distinct Indistinct
2 Color Light Dark
3 Fire resistance Poor More
`
4 Strength Strong for direct pull, Equally strong in
weak for resisting compression,
thrust, shear tension and shear
5 Structure Resinous and easily Non resinous and
split cross graind
6 Weight Light Heavy
7 Medullary rays Indistinct Distinct
Cross section of exogenous tree
Macro structure of tree
Visible with naked eye or little zoom
Pith: inner most central portion, core of the tree,
medulla. Cellular tissues supplying nourishment
to plant at young age and dies and decays
when old.
Heart wood: inner annual rings around pith.
Darker in color. Defined annual rings. Mainly
gives rigidity to the tree, so most usable wood.
Sap wood: outer annual rings between heart
and cambium. Lighter in color. Hazy lightly
defined annual rings. Young wood, contains
and moves sap in upper parts of tree.
Macro structure of tree
Cambium layer: thin layer of sap between sap
wood and inner bark. Its sap yet to be
converted to sap wood. Exposure of cambium
layer may result in death of tree.
Inner bark: inner skin covering the cambium
layer protecting it from injury.
Outer bark: outer most protective layer. May
contain cracks and fissures.
Medullary rays: thin radial fibers from pith to
cambium layer to hold together annual rings of
heart wood and sap wood. Can be broken, full
or very faint.
TIMBER – Quality Parameters
Appearance: freshly cut – hard and shining
Color: darker the better, light color normally an
indicator of low strength
No defects: should be free from dead knots,
flaws, shakes etc.
Durable: resisting to fungal attacks, chemicals,
physical and mechanical force
Elasticity: returns to original shape when the
deformation load is removed
TIMBER – Quality Parameters
Fibers:should have straight fibers.
Fire resistance: dense wood offers good
resistance to fire, needs high heat.
Timber is a bad conductor of heat and ele.
Hardness: should resist when penetrated by
another body. Density and chemicals in heart
wood impart hardness.
Toughness: should resist shocks dut to
vibrations. Tool handles, plane, vehicle body
etc.
TIMBER – Quality Parameters
Abrasion: should not deteriorate easily due to
mechanical wear. Traffic areas – floor,
pavement, stair etc.
Shape: should retain shape when seasoned
and sawed. Not warp and split.
Smell: should smell sweet. Unpleasant smell
indicates deterioration.
Sound: should give clear ringing sound. Its very
good sound transmitter. Fastest in the direction
of fibers.
TIMBER – Quality Parameters
Strength: should resist direct and transverse
direction load. Should take load slowly or
suddenly.
Structure: should be uniform. Fibres firmly
added, medullary rays hard and compact,
annual rings regular and closely packed
Water permeability: should be low. Its more in
the direction of fibers and lower in other
direction. Depends on initial water content, cut,
type of wood, width of rings, age etc.
TIMBER – Quality Parameters
Weathering effects: should resist the weather
reasonably. Its color will fade and turns gray. It
should show minimum disintegration of the
surface under drying and wetting, extreme heat
and cold.
Weight: heavier the better.
Workability: should be easily workable.
TIMBER – DEFECTS
Irregular of abnormal condition in wood which
may be responsible for
Reduction in strength
Reduction in utility
Reduction in durability
Reduction in workability
Accelerates decay
Poor aesthetics
etc. etc....
TIMBER – DEFECTS
DEFECTS DUE TO
CONVERSION
NATURAL FORCES
SEASONING
FUNGUS
INSECT
TIMBER – DEFECTS
SHAKES: CRACKS PARTLY OR COMPLETELY SEPERATE
THE FIBERS OF WOOD
TIMBER – DEFECTS
TIMBER – DEFECTS
Rind Galls:
These are typical enlarged swellings and occur due to branches
cut-off.
TIMBER – DEFECTS
Knots:
These are the roots of the small branches of the tree. These
are not harmful.
TIMBER – DEFECTS
Wind Cracks:
These are shakes or splits on the sides of a bark of timber due to
shrinkage of exterior surface exposed to atmospheric influence.
TIMBER – DEFECTS
FUNGAL AND INSECTS:
DUE TO VARIOUS FUNGUS AND INSECTS GRAWING AND EATING
WOOD / SAP.
- BEETLES, BORERS, TERMITES
- FUNGI >20% moisture and temperature, STAINS AND ROT
POWDER POST BEETEL
FUNGUS
TIMBER – SEASONING
PROCESS OF REMOVING SAP / MOISTURE
FROM THE WOOD / TIMBER IS CALLED
SEASONING
TREE FRESHLY CUT MAY CONTAIN APP. 50% OF ITS DRY
WEIGHT AS WATER – SAP AND MOISTURE
TIMBER NEEDS TO BE DRIED BEFORE IT CAN BE USED FOR
ENGINEERING PURPOSE.
IT NEEDS TO BE AT UNIFORM RATE AND UNIFORMLY
DISTRIBUTED. IF NOT UNIFORM AND IRREGULAR
SHRINKAGE WILL BE IRREGULAR – WARPS & SHAKES
TIMBER – SEASONING
Advantages
Burns easily
Decrease in weight – lower transport, handling
Improves hardness, stiffness, strength, ele. Resistence
Improve resistance to decay (moisture)
Good workability
Ready for treatment (moisture)
Reduces tendency to crack, shrink and warp
Good for gluing
TIMBER – SEASONING
Natural and Artificial seasoning
1. Natural seasoning
Air drying / seasoning
Normally timber is used not logs
In shade, safe from rain, direct sun, speedy wind
At safe distance from the ground and sides
Moisture content about 10 – 20 %
Time – few months to years
Economical – only space is required
TIMBER – SEASONING
2. Artificial seasoning
FASTER BUT COSTLY
Kiln seasoning – in chamber with controlled heating arrangement
3-12 days
Chemical seasoning – carbon dioxide, amonium carbonate, urea
etc. applied on wood
30 – 40 days
Electrical seasoning – high frequency current passed through
very fast but uneconomical
5 – 8 hours
Water seasoning – whole logs immersed in flowing water
sap washed away and replaced by water
water dried out in the air
2 – 4 weeks
TIMBER – CONVERSION
TREES ARE CUT WHEN SAP IS LESS, NORMALLY
MID WINTER
TRANSPORTED TO THE SAW MILLS FOR CUTTING
LOGS ARE CUT AND CONVERTED IN TO USABLE
SIZES / BOARDS – PROCESS - CONVERSION
TIMBER – CONVERSION
TYPE OF CUTS DEPENDS ON FOLLOWING
TREE SPECIES
SIZE OF LOG
CONDITION OF LOG
TYPE OF SAWING MACHINE
ECONOMY / WASTAGE
END USE – DECORATIVE OR STRUCTURAL
TIMBER – CONVERSION
The resulting timber section (with the exception of
that which surrounds the pith-heart) will be either:
• Plain or tangential sawn
or
• Quarter or rift sawn
TIMBER – CONVERSION
Through-and-through
Large logs can be quickly converted in this way. It is
cheap in comparison to other methods. The resulting
timber will be part plain sawn and part quarter sawn.
TIMBER – CONVERSION
Quarter (radial) or rift sawn
Quarter or rift sawn can be wasteful and expensive, but
is necessary where a large number of radial, or near
radial, sawn boards are required. Certain hardwoods
cut in this way can produce beautiful figured boards, eg
oak.
Quarter sawn boards retain their shape much better
than plain sawn boards and will shrink less in service,
making them suitable for good class joinery work and
quality decking for floors.
TIMBER – CONVERSION
Quarter (radial) or rift sawn
TIMBER – CONVERSION
Tangential sawn
Logs cut in this way will, with the exception of
the heart (centre portion of the log) section,
provide timber with a tangential face.
This method of conversion is used when cutting
up large diameter logs of hardwood or softwood.
Timber produced by this method has a structural
strength which makes it ideal for use as beam or
floor joists.
Boards produced by this method of sawing are
also likely to shrink a great deal.
TIMBER – CONVERSION
Tangential sawn
TIMBER – CONVERSION
TIMBER – PRESERVATION
It means protecting from fungi and insects attack so that its life is
increased and structures are more durable.
The following are widely used:
1. Tar
2. Paints
3. Chemical salt
4. Creosote
5. ASCU
TIMBER – PRESERVATION
1.Tar Treatment:
Hot coal tar is applied to timber with brush. The coating of tar protects the
timber from the attack of fungi and insects. It is a cheapest way of
protecting timber.
Main disadvantage
Appearance is not good after tar is applied
2. Paints Treatment:
Two to three coats of oil paints are applied on clean surface of wood. The paint
protects the timber from moisture. The paint is to be applied from time to
time.
Paint improves the appearance of the timber.
Solignum paint is a special paint which protects the timber.
TIMBER – PRESERVATION
3. Chemical salt Treatment:
These are the preservatives made by dissolving salts in water. The salts used are copper
sulphate, masonry chloride, zinc chloride and sodium fluoride. After treating the timber with
these chemical salt paints and varnishes can be applied to get good appearance
4. Creosote oil treatment:
Creosote oil is obtained by distillation of coal tar. The seasoned timber is kept in an air tight
chamber and air is exhausted. Then creosote oil is pumped into the chamber at a pressure of
0.8 to 1.0 N/mm2 at a temperature of 50°C. After 1 to 2 hours timber is taken out of the
chamber.
5. ASCO Treatment:
This preservative is developed by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. It consists of 1 part
by weight of hydrated arsenic pent-oxide (As2O5, 2 H2O), 3 parts by weight of copper
sulphate(CuSO4⋅5 H2O) and 4 parts by weight of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) or sodium
dichromate (Na2Cr2O7⋅2 H2O). This preservative is available in powder form. By mixing six
parts of this powder with 100 parts of water, the solution is prepared. The solution is then
sprayed over the surface of timber.
This treatment prevents attack from termites. The surface may be painted to get desired
appearance
