 |
 |
Wood Properties
Name: Timothy
Status: Student
Age: 20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
I am a student enrolled at Central Connecticut State
University in the Civil Engineering Program. At my last college i was
involved in an honor's project which has extended into the summer months.
It involves the complete design of a 60ft pedestrian bridge for a
proposed Central Massachusetts Rail Trail System. We have decided to make
the deck of the bridge native red oak (rough sawn).
My question is, where
on-line can I research native red oak structural properties; ie, bending
stresses, shear stresses, dimensions, mounting options, etc. I have
searched over and over again and have found nothing. Any suggestions?
Replies:
This may not answer your question exactly, but it may lead you to something
that can. I do not know if any of the following will have specific
information on the particular wood you are contemplating using, but it is
worth a try.
A.You may want to consult a textbook on timber construction (under the
general heading of civil engineering).
B. Try the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, located at the University of Illinois in
Champaign-Urbana, IL (try www.usace.mil). A second place might be the Corps
technical excellence center at the Omaha, NE Engineer district (also
locatable via the Corps general webpage address just given).
C. Try the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison campus forest products research group.
Try finding them via www.wisconsin.edu
D. Try contacting any large commercial lumber company like Weyerhauser in
the Northwest, or Georgia-Pacific, or Boise Cascade, etc.
E. The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual, I believe has
a section on lumber properties because they are used for wood construction
design, etc.
F. Try a Civil Engineering Handbook of the type engineers use for general
reference purposes (possible sections would be wood design, stresses in
lumber, etc). A good reference librarian can help you locate one online.
G. Try a good materials science department library at places like MIT or the
Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, Tufts Univ. in Boston, etc.
Hope this helps a little.
JS
Click here to return to the Engineering Archives
| |
Update: June 2012
|
|
