Glulam Composed of Glued Laminated Veneer Lumber Made of Beech Wood: Superior Performance in Compression Loading

Abstract

Compared to most softwoods, the hardwood species beech (Fagus sylvatica) exhibits higher strength and stiffness properties, but – for structural use – also a number of drawbacks. The drawbacks, however, can be overcome partly by processing beech wood to laminated veneer lumber (LVL). In order to utilise beech LVL not only for plate-like structures, but also for beams or columns with deliberate cross-sectional dimensions, the beech LVL can be further processed to glued laminated beams (glulam) made of LVL laminations. The paper reports on experimental investigations of innovative high end structural beech glulam and demonstrates the system effect on the load capacity in compression loading parallel to the grain.