Design of Built-Up Wooden Columns

Abstract

This chapter is a follow-up to the previous one that delt with the design of solid timber columns. Here, the design and fabrication of two common types of built-up wooden columns, i.e. spaced and glulam columns , are treated. Spaced columns are defined as two or more solid rectangular members joined at the ends to ensure that the individual member acts as a single unit, while glulam is typically made up of rectangular members glued together from smaller pieces of wood, either in straight or curved form, with the grain of all the laminations essentially parallel to the length of the member. Design- and fabrication-related issues treated include spacer and end block provisions for spaced columns, production of glulam members by horizontal and vertical lamination , advantages of glulam over solid-sawn wood construction, and the design criteria for both spaced and glulam columns. Worked examples including computer codes are also presented.