Lesson Title: Timber
Timber
Attractive properties of using timber and timber products are: -
➢ They are natural products and renewable resource.
➢ Manufacture of timber products requires much less energy than alternative
materials.
➢ Timber does not give any disposal problem after use.
➢ Timber has a high strength weight ratio
➢ It has a warm feel because of low thermal conductivity
➢ The material is easily worked with hand tools and joined with nails or screws.
➢ Strong joints can be formed with adhesives.
➢ Structural timber sections have good fire resistance
Problems associated with the use of timber are: -
➢ The material may be very variable due to the defects of imperfections such as
knots, grain, etc.
➢ Timber is subject to movement and possible distortion when its moisture content
changes.
➢ It is subject to fungal and insect attack
➢ Untreated timber burns readily in fire
➢ Timber is subject to creep under load
Structure of wood
Softwood
➢ Any species such as pines that have needlelike leaves and that are generally
evergreen
➢ Grow relatively quickly, the resultant wood generally being soft, of low density
and easily worked
➢ More economical than hardwoods but less durable.
Hardwood
➢ Trees such as oak, maple & teak with broad leaves that are shed in winter.
➢
➢ Usually grow more slowly than softwood but harder, denser, stronger and more
durable.
➢ Used in window, door, high quality joinery and veneers for doors and furniture.
Heartwood
➢ The inner layer of the tree
➢ No longer stores food but supporting the tree
➢ Cells is acidic for preservation of the tree
➢ Darker in color than sapwood
➢ More heartwood in old trees and better durability.
Sapwood
➢ The outer, more newly grown layer of cells
➢ Responsible for food conduction & storage function
➢ In young trees, most of wood is sapwood
➢ Less durable than heartwood
Effects of moisture in timber
The moisture content of timber is defined as: -
Moisture content = (Mass of water present in a sample / Mass of that sample when
oven dry) x 100%
➢ The moisture content of timber in service is greatly influenced by the fact that
wood is hygroscopic, that is, it tends to attract water from a damp atmosphere
and give up water to a dry atmosphere
➢ Another important property of timber is that the cell walls become swollen on
wetting, so that wet timber invariably occupies more space than dry timber. At
moisture contents below fibre saturation value (approximately 28%) the volume
of timber varies approximately linearly with its moisture content. At moisture
contents above saturation value, there is no variation since additional water
occupies cell cavities where there is no swelling effect.
➢ The moisture movement of timber varies with type and also within a given
species, denser samples tend to shrink more than lighter samples and
hardwood shrink more than softwoods.
➢ An important consequence of the variation of movement of timber with direction
is that distortion occurs when green timber is dried.
Seasoning
Seasoning is the controlled reduction of the moisture content of timber to a level
appropriate to its end use.
Advantages of seasoning timber:
➢ Seasoned timber is immune to fungal attack
➢ Stronger
➢ Lower density and easier to handle or transport
➢ Easier to work, glue, paint or preserve than wet timber
Types of seasoning
Air seasoning
➢ A large amount of timber was air seasoned by stacking in open formations in a
roofed enclosure.
➢ Drying takes place due to the effect of wind and sun, in a time which depends on
the type and size of timbers, the size of air gaps between them and the climatic
conditions.
➢ The process minimizes damage but is slow, often taking several years to
complete, and will not reduce the moisture content below about 16% which is
too high for internal purposes.
Kiln seasoning
➢ It involves heating the timber in sealed chamber, initially using steam to maintain
saturation, the humidity then being progressively reduced to produce drying.
➢ Drying schedules depend on the type and size of timber sections and their initial
and target moisture content.
➢ It takes about one week per 25mm thickness for softwoods and about two weeks
per 25mm thickness for hardwoods.
➢ It has advantage that it sterilizes the wood and can reduce moisture contents to
lower levels than air seasoning (about 12%).
Fungal attack
➢ Growth of all fungi in timber requires a moisture content of at least 20%.
➢ Only the cellulose of timber is destroyed, the wood breaks into small cubes and
the rot is called brown rot; where both cellulose and lignin are destroyed, the
wood becomes soft and fibrous, the rot is called white rot.
➢ Rots can be divided into dry rot and wet rot
➢ Dry rot is a brown rot, it is in areas without satisfactory ventilation such as
cavities in floors or walls especially where there leaks or rising damp.
➢ Dry rots killed at temperatures of over 40 ℃ . It becomes dormant at
temperature approaching freezing.
➢ Drying out of timber also render the fungus dormant and it may die after one
year in this state, thought the process may take longer if the ambient
temperature is reduced.
➢ Wet rots require higher moisture content in order to thrive optimum values being
the region of 50%.
➢ The essential differences in the remedial treatment of dry and wet rots is that the
latter does not normally infect neighbouring dry timber, brickwork or plaster;
hence it is necessary only to cut away and replace affected timber.
Insect attack
➢ Insects have a characteristic life cycle: egg, larva, pupa and finally adult insect.
➢ Insect attack does not require wet timber, though higher moisture contents are
preferred.
➢ Sapwood is much more susceptible to insect attack than heartwood.
➢ Attack is also less likely in wood products such as chipboard, containing
synthetic adhesives
Preservative treatment for timber
Requirements of good preservatives: -
➢ They should be poisonous to fungi and insects but not to human
➢ They should be permanent
➢ They should be cheap and plentiful
➢ They should be safe to handle
➢ They should be easy to apply
➢ They should not be corrosive to metal
➢ They should be capable of good penetration
➢ They should not be increase the inflammability of the wood
➢ They should be permit the subsequent painting or finishing of the wood
➢ They should be colourless and odourless
Classification of preservatives
Tar oil preservatives
➢ Suitable for external use
➢ Give rise to a noticeable colour and smell and render timber unsuitable for
painting
➢ Cheap
➢ Can apply to timber with a fairly high moisture content
Water-borne preservatives
➢ Tolerant of some moisture in the timber
➢ Colourless, non-flammable and do not stain timber
➢ Swell the timber and will cause corrosion of metals until drying out is complete
➢ Best used as a preliminary protection followed by kiln drying
Organic solvent preservatives
➢ Penetration is excellent provided the timber is quite dry
➢ Non-staining, non-corrosive to metals, non-swelling and quick-drying
➢ Painting is possible once drying is complete
➢ Widely used for remedial treatment
➢ Many organic solvents are highly flammable and present a fire risk until dried
➢ More expensive than the other types
➢ Release solvents into the atmosphere (environmentally unacceptable)
Application methods
➢ Brushing or spraying
➢ Dipping
➢ Double-vacuum process
