Thin-walled timber and FRP-timber veneer composite CEE-sections

A.J. Mainey, B.P. Gilbert, Dilum Fernando, Henri Bailleres

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

This paper compares the structural performance between thin-walled timber and FRP-timber composite Ceesections. While, thin walled composite timber structures have been proven to be efficient and ultra-light structural elements, their manufacturing is difficult and labour intensive. Significant effort and time is required to prevent the cracking of the transverse timber veneers, bent in the grain direction, when forming the crosssectional shape. FRP-timber structures overcome this disadvantage by replacing the transverse veneers with flexible, unidirectional FRP material and only keeping the timber veneers which are bent in their natural rolling direction. The Cee-sections investigated in this study were 210 mm deep × 90 mm wide × 500 mm high and manufactured from five plies. For both section types, the three internal plies were thin (1 mm thick) softwood Hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) veneers, orientated along the section longitudinal axis. The two outer layers, providing bending stiffness to the walls, were Hoop pine veneers (1 mm thick) for the timber sections and glass fibre reinforced plastic (0.73 mm thick) for the FRP-timber sections orientated perpendicular to the inner layers. The manufacturing process is briefly introduced in this paper. The profiles were fitted with strain gauges and tested in compression. Linear Variable Displacement Transducers also recorded the buckling along one flange. The test results are presented and discussed in this paper in regards to their structural behaviour and performance. Results showed that the use of FRP in the sections increases both the elastic local buckling load and section capacity, the latter being increased by about 24 percent. The results indicate that thin-walled FRPtimber can ultimately be used as a sustainable alternative to cold-formed steel profiles.
Original languageEnglish
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
EventInternational Conference on Performance-based and Life-cycle Structural Engineering - Brisbane, Australia
Duration: 9 Dec 201511 Dec 2015

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Performance-based and Life-cycle Structural Engineering
Country/TerritoryAustralia
CityBrisbane
Period9/12/1511/12/15

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