national timber bridge design ucts … · lumber, a parallel strand lumber (psl) ... pre-cambered...

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1IImtII1 i> r-o... '. . ~ i~ ~II.. .",; ~' . f 'I\mbor IIridteIab8atia c ',~ !.~ -,.->: "'~4~&;.t:::~'::~:Ji.~:ft:;iirJ< Editor - Tinathan Coger ENGINEERED WOOD PROD- UCTS MANUFACTURED BY TRUS JOIST MACMILLAN a rus Joist MacMillan (TJM) is a leading producer of Engineered Wood Products in the world. It utilizes a variety of wood species in the fonn of veneer or strands and combines them with exterior- type structural adhesives to produce struc- tural wood products that are much more consistent than other fonns of wood. The company produces three fonns of engi- neered wood, known collectively as Struc- " I tural Composite Lumber (SCL). The oldest '-" and most widely known material is Lami- nated Veneer Lumber (LVL), sold by Trus Joist MacMillan under the trade name of MICRO=LAM~Lumber. A second product manufactured by TJM is called Parallam~ Lumber, a Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL) product. The newest SCL technology from TIM has resulted in a Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL) called TimberStrand LumberTM. A brief description of the three materials follows. MICRO=LAM~L VL c MICRO=LAMLumberusesstructuralgrade species such as Douglas-fir and southern pine in veneer fonn in its construction. The veneercomesin sheetseight feet in length and either 27" (685rnrn) or 51"(1295mm) widths. It differs from plywood in that the grain in all of the veneer sheets are ori- ented parallel to the length of the fInished ...~..,,1]:lfK';J ~'t;~ Issue 13 August 1993 NATIONAL TIMBER BRIDGE DESIGN COMPETITION II he winners of the nation's first timber bridge student competition award have been announced by the South- west Mississippi Resource Conservation and Development Ex- ecutive Board. The award selections were made by a select panel of judges which included Dan W. Miller, Design Engineer, Bridge Divi- sion of Mississippi Department of Transportation; Richard B. Ward, Structural Engineer with the Federal Highway Adminis- tration, and Stephen C. Quintana, Program Director of the TlDlberBridge Infonnation Resource Center. The student competition, begun on January 15, 1993, was initiatedto "familiarizeengineersof the future" with the engi- neering capabilitiesof wood and its potential as a principal structuralmaterialfor highwaybridges and relatedtransporta- tion structures. The competitionwas openedto civil engineer- ing, agriculturalengineeringand forestry studentsthroughout the U.S. The 1993 national competitionreceived favorable responses fromvariouscollegesandforestproductsgroups. A total of 15 sent entry fonns, and eight of these submitteddesign and test resultsfor final competition. Many other schoolsand colleges wereunableto participate. The Southwest Mississippi Resource Conservation and Devel- opment, Inc., with assistance from the Department of Civil Engineering at Mississippi State University (the host univer- sity), coordinated the initial competition. Awards First Place and $600 was awarded to the University of Alabama. Their timber bridge consisted of three (3) enclosed box stringers made of SouthernPine and 112" decking.

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1IImtII1i>

r-o... '. . ~ i~~II.. .",; ~'

.f

'I\mborIIridteIab8atia c ',~!.~-,.->:

"'~4~&;.t:::~'::~:Ji.~:ft:;iirJ<

Editor -Tinathan Coger

ENGINEERED WOOD PROD-UCTS MANUFACTURED BYTRUS JOIST MACMILLAN

a rus Joist MacMillan (TJM) is aleading producer of Engineered

Wood Products in the world. It utilizes avariety of wood species in the fonn of veneeror strands and combines them with exterior-

type structural adhesives to produce struc-tural wood products that are much moreconsistent than other fonns of wood.

The company produces three fonns of engi-neered wood, known collectively as Struc-

" I tural Composite Lumber (SCL). The oldest'-" and most widely known material is Lami-nated Veneer Lumber (LVL), sold by TrusJoist MacMillan under the trade name of

MICRO=LAM~Lumber. A second productmanufactured by TJM is called Parallam~Lumber, a Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL)product. The newest SCL technology fromTIM has resulted in a Laminated StrandLumber (LSL) called TimberStrandLumberTM.A brief description of the threematerials follows.

MICRO=LAM~L VL

c

MICRO=LAMLumberusesstructuralgradespecies such as Douglas-fir and southernpine in veneerfonn in its construction. Theveneercomesin sheetseight feet in lengthand either 27" (685rnrn) or 51"(1295mm)widths. It differs from plywood in that thegrain in all of the veneer sheets are ori-ented parallel to the length of the fInished

...~..,,1]:lfK';J ~'t;~

Issue 13 August 1993

NATIONAL TIMBER BRIDGE DESIGNCOMPETITION

II he winners of the nation's first timber bridge studentcompetition award have been announced by the South-

west Mississippi Resource Conservation and Development Ex-ecutive Board.

The award selections were made by a select panel of judgeswhich included Dan W. Miller, Design Engineer, Bridge Divi-sion of Mississippi Department of Transportation; Richard B.Ward, Structural Engineer with the Federal Highway Adminis-tration, and Stephen C. Quintana, Program Director of theTlDlberBridge Infonnation Resource Center.

The student competition, begun on January 15, 1993, wasinitiatedto "familiarizeengineersof the future" withthe engi-neering capabilitiesof wood and its potential as a principalstructuralmaterialfor highwaybridges and relatedtransporta-tion structures. Thecompetitionwasopenedto civilengineer-ing, agriculturalengineeringand forestry studentsthroughoutthe U.S.

The 1993national competitionreceived favorable responsesfromvariouscollegesandforestproductsgroups. Atotalof 15sent entryfonns, and eight of these submitteddesignand testresultsfor final competition. Manyother schoolsandcollegeswereunableto participate.

The Southwest Mississippi Resource Conservation and Devel-opment, Inc., with assistance from the Department of CivilEngineering at Mississippi State University (the host univer-sity), coordinated the initial competition.

Awards

First Place and $600 was awarded to the University of Alabama.Their timber bridge consisted of three (3) enclosed box stringersmadeof SouthernPine and 112"decking.

Engineered Wood ... continuedfrom page 1

product The veneer is bonded together with phenolfonnaldehyde adhesives under heat and pressure in acontinuous process to produce a block or "billet" ofwood typically 1 1/2" (38mm) or 1 3/4" (44mm) inthickness, two or four feet (0.6-1.2m) in width, and inlengths up to eighty feet (24m).

Parallam~PSL

Parallel Lumber is a similar product to MICRO=LAMLumber, but it utilizes strands rather than sheets ofpeeled veneer in its construction. It, too, uses speciessuch as Douglas-fir and southern pine in combinationwith phenol fonnaldehyde adhesives, but microwaveenergy is employed to cure the compressed billet. Themanufacturing process of Parallam Lumber creates abillet much larger in cross section than that ofMICRO=LAM LVL, as large as 12" by 24" (300 x600mm), in lengths of up to 66 feet (20m). Because ofthe large sectional sizes available directly from thepress, this material is the primary product being uti-lized by Trus Joist MacMillan for bridge structures.

TimberStrandTM LSL

TnnberStrand Lumber is significantly different fromthe preceding two products. It does not rely on highgrade structural species for wood fiber, but insteaduses more readily available and often underutilizedspecies such as Aspen. Strands of wood, 0.030"(0.8mm) thick by 1/2" (13mm) wide and 12" (300mm)in length are obtained from a log, coated with polyure-thane adhesives, oriented and pressed with steam cureto produce a billet up to 5 112"(14Omm)thick, eightfeet (204m)wide, and 35 feet (1O.7m)long.

All three fonns of SCL that Trus Joist MacMillanmanufactures have attributes that make them attrac-tive for use in bridge applications. They all employ theconcept of defect dispersion in their composition,wherein knots, slope of grain, low density material,etc., are either eliminated or dispersed throughout thematerial, minimizing their effects on the end productThis affords greater consistency and predictability ofthe material and the ability to assess significantlyhigher design values than solid sawn lumber. Thenature of SCL's composition also allows for verythorough treatment with pressure-introduced wood

preservatives, greatly increasing the long-tenn durabil-ity of the materials in exterior exposure applicationssuch as bridge structures. In addition, because theproducts are manufactured in a controlled plant atmo-sphere, they can be secondarily laminated into avarietyof structurally efficient shapes such as tee or boxbeams, pre-cambered in lengths that can span fromsupport to support without the need for splices.

J

Use of Structural Composite Lumber in bridge applica-tions has been limited to date due to the lack of

recognition by the governing code body for trafficbridges, the American Association for State Highwayand Transportation Officials (AASHTO). This situa-tion is changing, however, and inclusion of SCL intothe AASHTO Specifications appears likely within thenext couple of years.

For further infonnation, contact:

Trus Joist MacMillan

Attn: Christopher MeyerR & D Product Development CenterP.O. Box 8047Boise, ID 83707Phone: 208-343-7771 J

SEBASTICOOK RIVERSNOWMOBILE BRIDGE

COMPLETED

Hardly had the last nail been pounded when snowmo-biles lined up to cross the Sebasticook River Snowmo-bile Timber Bridge located in Hartland, Maine. Thisbridge has amainsuspensionof190feetso the shorelinewould not be disturbed during the construction of theeast side pylon footing. Double deck sections wereadded adjacent to the pylon columns at each end of thebridge to provide a stopping/passing location in theevent two snowmobiles entered the opposite end rampsat the same time. Approaches to the on-ramps cannot beclearly seen from opposite sides of the river due toterrain, bush and tree growth. The bush and tree growthwere left undisturbed in order to meet environmental

contraints. A 16 foot high structural steel main cable

~Continued on page 3

,...SOFTWARE DEVELOPED FOR

TIMBER BRIDGES........

STRESLAM

Considerable research completed in the United Stateshasprovided design, contruction, and inspectionguide-lines for stress-laminated deck bridges. In WestVirginia, 56 timber bridges have been built followingdesign specifications developed at the ConstructedFacilities Center (CFC) of West Virginia University.The CFC is actively cooperating with other research-ers in the development of design guidelines for stress-laminated timber bridges to be adopted by AASHTO.

The Computer program S1RESLAMforthe design ofstress-laminated T-system timber bridges is availableon diskette from: Constructed Facilities Center, Col-lege of Engineering, West Virginia University,Morgantown, WV 26506-6101. The program will beprovided at a nominal cost. Inquire at: Phone: (304)293-7608 Ext. 632; FAX (304) 293-5024.

-- I SLAM. Microcomputer Program for Stress-Lami."'-"'1 nated Wood Deck Design

SLAM is a user friendly program developed by theDepartment of Civil, Agricultural, and GeologicalEngineering, NewMexico StateUniversity, forJomadaand Black Range Resource Conservation and Devel-opment groups, Elephant Butte Irrigation District,and the USDA Forest Service. The program isintended to provide bridge engineers who are alreadyfamiliar with the design procedures for stress lami-nated wood decks, with apowerful tool to speed up thedesign process.

For bridge engineers who are unfamiliar with proce-dures, this program along with the design proceduresoutlined by the American Association of State High-way Officials in the "Guide Specifications for theDesign of Stress Laminated Wood Decks" will allowthe bridge designer to quickly learn the design proce-dures.

SLAM is an easy program to use. Everything the user- .

1

needsto enter is outlinedon the computerscreen. In,.' other words, the programruns in DOS andis menu-

driven.

The program can be ordered by contacting StanBulsterbaum or Vicky Milne, Jomada Resource Con-servation and Development, Inc, 1065 S. Main, SuiteB-3,LasCruces,NM 88005; Phone: 505-526-14240rWade Worrell, Black Range Resource Conservationand Development, Inc., 223 East Spruce, Deming, NM88030; Phone: 505-546-2062.

Snowmobile Bridge ... continuedfrompage2

tennination bridge truss assembly and supporting in-tennediate pylons had to be added on the west side ofthe river to move the main cable deadman structure 38

feet closer to the primary west side pylon footings. Thechange in location of the deadman was necessary toreduce disturbance to the shoreline from the main cabledeadman. The SebasticookRiver Snowmobile Timber

Bridge is definitely a critical link in the State's growingsnowmobiling trail network.

Design Competition... continuedfrompage 1

Second Place and $300 was awarded to West VirginiaUniversity. Their timber bridge consisted of two (2)glue laminated arches with a cable suspended deckmade of Yellow Poplar, Southern Pine and 1/4" ply-wood and decking materials.

Third Place (tie) and $100 to each university wasawarded to the University of Maine and the Universityof Oklahoma. The University of Maine 's timber bridgeentry was a space truss made of Southern Pine. TheUniversity of Oklahoma's timber bridge entry was adesign using two (2) laminated stringers made of denseYellow Pine, Utility Douglas Fir, Purple Heart, andRed Oak with a prestressed deck.

Special Award for Most Cost-Competitive Design and$400 went to Mississippi State University. The timberbridge consisted of 2 main trusses and 3 secondarystringers made of #2 dense Southern Pine with deckingat a cost of $102.71.

Special Award for Most Innovative and Creative Con-cept and $200 went to West Virginia University.

There wereadditional entries from UniversityofFlorida,University of Mississippi and Merrimack College.Although each of these entries was considered andranked highly by the panel, the panel could only makeawards under the rules of the competition.

National Sponsors

The National Timber Bridge Design Competition wassponsored by the Southwest Mississippi ResourceConselVation and Development, Inc.; Mississippi State

University,Departmentof CivilEngineering;andtheU.S. Forest SelViceTimber Bridge InformationRe-source Center. Additional assistance was provided by ,

Tom Williamson of the American Plywood Associa-tion representing the National Forest Products Asso-ciation Timber Bridge Task Force.

Enter Next Year's Student Timber Bridge AwardCompetition

The sponsors realize that many other bridges andconcepts could have been entered, but the limited timedid not allow for many universities or colleges to enter.H you are interested in the 1993 Fall competition orwish to be asponsor please contact: SouthwestMissis-sippi RC&D, Inc.; 114 Industrial Park Drive;Brookhaven, MS 39601-2148; Phone: (601) 833-5539