exploring physical and mechanical properties of osb and underutilized species to be used in the glulam industry
abstract
glulam lumber is a great building alternative to steel for its strength, aesthetics,
and ecofriendly nature. most of the glulam produced in north america is made from
spruce, pine, or fir (spf) species due to their superior strength characteristics and
availability. there is a largely untapped market for underutilized species to be used in
glulam construction and engineered products such as osb. this thesis provides an
overview of the species currently used in the glulam industry worldwide, a breakdown
of osb, and underutilized species such as birch as a potential product to be used in
glulam production. the physical and mechanical properties of osb and a wide variety
of tree species are discussed to compare different strengths between each species/
product. this literature review found that birch has favourable strength characteristics
and, in theory, would prove beneficial in a glulam beam. like birch, mixed hardwood
osb was found to have similar strength properties to white pine used as a glulam
species. incorporating underutilized species into glulam design is essential because it
will diversify the canadian lumber market, help create a more resilient market, and
improve efficiency in the glulam industry.
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