A Conceptual Review of Structural Performance of Mengkulang Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) Roof Trusses

Abstract

In Malaysia, the development of engineered timber product (ETP) such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and glued laminated timber (glulam) in manufacturing and construction has not been encouraged, due to limited data either on the data for engineering properties or data on the structural behaviour. This paper presents the overview of earlier research done about roof trusses behaviour, forming the basis of the conceptual framework of the proposed research, namely the structural performance of roof trusses constructed using Mengkulang LVL. Mengkulang (Heritiera spp.) in strength grouping 5 (SG5) according to Malaysian strength grading groupings that are commonly and suitably used for nonstructural applications. By converting lower grade timber into LVL, it has been shown that the strength improves into two grades higher. This paper reviewed the literature from previous research in investigating the behaviour of roof truss structure in terms of its load-carrying capacity and the stiffness of the joints. Also, the requirement of mechanical properties of timber data by performing series of tests namely bending, bending shear, tension and compression were discussed. A literature review was also made to identify the method of numerical analysis using finite element and experimental. As a conclusion, it is expected that LVL from tropical hardwood timber can safely be used as roof truss system.