BIRCH | GLT+CLT - Mechanical properties of Glued Laminated Timber and Cross Laminated Timber produced with the wood species birch

HASSLACHER NORICA TIMBER is a wood processing company with about 1,000 employees and plants in Austria, Slovenia and Russia. In the forest around their Russian sawmill "HasslacherLes" the wood species birch (Betula pendula) is growing in large quantities and cut-able qualities. The company has also very modern equipment for the production of glued laminated and cross laminated timber. Consequently the idea was born to develop a project to produce load-carrying members to check the possibility of production of glued laminated timber and cross laminated timber without large modification of the existing production process. The goal of the project was to set up a complete profile of the mechanical properties needed for the design according to EN 1995-1-1. In addition by the means of a pilot project (detached house) erected with birch Cross Laminated Timber the effectiveness of this product for structural purposes with slender wooden components could be shown. The second pilot project was an industrial hall made of Glued Laminated Timber with birch.