PERFORMANCE OF RED MAPLE GLUED-LAMINATED TIMBER BEAMS

The objective of the research was to determine if red maple glued-lami nated (glulam) timber beams with design flexural strength of 165 MPa ( 2400 psi) and design stiffness of 12.4 GPa (1.8 x 10(6) psi) could be designed and fabricated. The strength and stiffness of red maple glula m timber beams were predicted using ASTM D3737 procedures and then com pared to data from 45 test beams, 15 each of 3 sizes. The results show that ASTM D3737 procedures conservatively predict the strength and sa tisfactorily predict the stiffness of red maple glulam timber beams an d that red maple beams with flexural strength of 16.5 MPa (2400 psi) a nd stiffness (MOE) of 12.4 GPa (1.8 x 10(6) psi) are technically feasi ble. Also, the volume effect for the strength of the red maple glulam timber test beams was similar to the published volume effect for softw ood glulam beams.