Objective Glued-laminated timber beams (Glulam) are now widely used for large span structures such as arenas, domes and bridges as well as office buildings and apartment housing of up to five floors. Glularn offers several advantages over other materials; Light weight, economical production of tapered and curved members as well as excellent energy absorption characteristics. The structural utilisation of glulam is usually limited by low bending stiffness and strength of the material in relation to concrete and steel. The improvement of the mechanical characteristics will result in a more rational use of wood as raw material and improve it's competitive position against other building materials. The objectives of the proposed research project is to develop methods to enhance the structural and safety performance of glulam by the integration of fibre reinforced plastics (FRP), thus adding value to this traditional timber product. These objectives will be reached by assessing existing technology with regard to commercial potential and by selecting the most promising FRP materials for further development into use as reinforcement of glulam. Development of products and processes to economically incorporate the FRP technology to the existing production facilities of the glulam SMEs. Previous research has shown that FRP reinforcement minimises the influence of natural defects in the wood. If successful, the proposed research project will facilitate the upgrading of some wood spices that have so far only been suited for low value applications due to defects in the wood structure. Fields of science agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesforestry Programme(s) FP4-BRITE/EURAM 3 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 0101 - Incorporation of new technologies into production systems Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme EAW - Exploratory awards Coordinator Limtre hf. Address Fludir 0801 Selfoss Iceland See on map EU contribution € 0,00
