Analysis of Thermal Change in Stress-Laminated Timber Bridge Decks

Details

• Creators:
  Kainz, James A. ; Wacker, James ; Ritter, Michael A.
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Agriculture ; United States. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service ; United States. Forest Service. Forest Products Laboratory ; National Wood in Transportation Information Center (U.S.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Bridge decks
  • Cold weather
  • Laminates
  • Laminated wood
  • Stresses
  • Temperature
  • Timber construction
  • Wooden bridges
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FPL-RP-598
• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Agriculture
• Abstract:
  As the timber bridge design has evolved, some engineers have been concerned about the integrity of the stress-laminated system in cold climates. The structural integrity of a stress-laminated bridge depends on the level of interlaminar compression (between the wood laminations). Temperature change can cause material shrinkage, which could lead to substantial performance problems based on material mechanics and the nature of the stress-laminated system. In this study, to determine the effects of thermal change on interlaminar compression, four stress-laminated timber deck sections were put through a warm-cold-warm cycle. Various interlaminar stress levels and three moisture content levels were tested. Results showed that interlaminar compression in stress-laminated decks of this size was not affected by extremely cold temperatures when the moisture content was less than 19% and when initial bar force was sufficient.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/61476/dot_61476_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 983.59 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:61d466768b479da4c95e03be8390a63698837619ef6a7c44bdb5df4b86f9d267ccc39c03ce04d329cdeab3f68174a8853e48a54bb62601d13966088109da0e4c