Unit- 7 Timber

Timber
Timber is a hard, solid and fibrous substances found inside the bark of tree which forms a major part of
the trunk and branches of tree. Timber is obtained from tree.

Classification of Timber
A) Depending upon the made of growth
i) Exogenous trees: These are the trees grow outwards and increase in bulk by the formation of
successive annular rings on the outside under the bark. For eg. Sal, Shishum, teak,etc
ii) Endogenous trees:
 These trees grow inwards.
 The stems of these trees are too flexible and thus they are not must suitable for engineering
works.
 They are found generally in tropical countries and have their own limited application for
temporary construction. For eg. Bamboos
B) Depending on the modulus of elasticity
i) Group A: E= 12.5 Gpa
ii) Group B: E=9.8-12.5Gpa
iii) Group C: E=5.6-9.8 Gpa
C) Depending upon durability
i) High Durability
ii) Moderate durability
iii) Low durability
D) Depending upon seasoning characteristics
i) High refractory (Class A)
ii) Moderate refractory (Class B)
iii) Non- refractory (Class C)
E) On the basis of its position
i) Standing timber
ii) Rough timber
iii) Converted timber
Characteristics of good timber
1) It should have uniform colour.
2) A freshly cut surface should give a sweet smell.
3) It should have regular annual rings.
4) It should have straight and close fibres.
5) It should be sonorous (deep or ringing sound) when struck.
6) It should be heavy in weight.
7) It should be free from slakes, flaws, dead knots or blemishes of any kind.
8) It should be capable of resisting shocks.
9) It should be strong enough to withstand bending and shear effects efficiently.
Advantages of timber
1) Easy to handle, can be planed, swan and jointed.
2) Easily available.
3) Quickly transported by the simple means
4) Good insulator of heat and sound
5) Sustain for long period
6) Stands shocks
7) Easy to repair , alter and modified
8) Resists corrosion
9) Predefined for building works in earthquake
Uses of timber
 In building as door window, frames, temporary partition works , farm work, roof truss .

Growth and structure of exogenous tree

Growth:
 In spring, roots of tree absorb soil salts as food from soil which reaches the branches and leaves.
Soil salts contains moisture which evaporates and it absorbs carbon dioxide from air in the
presence of sunlight and becomes denser. The transformed viscous solution is called sap.
 In autumn, sap descends and deposits in the form of a layer below bark, which is called
cambium layer, which hardens and adds a layer below bark of tree every year in the form of
concentric rings called annual rings. The new rings represents a year’s growth of tree.
1) PITH: Pith is the inner most portion of the tree, its size, shape and color varies from tree to tree. It
is also called medulla, it is responsible for the nutrition the plant at young age and after a long time the
pith dies.
2) HEART WOOD: It is annual inner rings which is outer portion of pith and formed annually. it dead
after formation of outer ring so dark in color and responsible for the stability of tree, due to hard
property.
3) SAP WOOD: Sap wood is the outer annual rings and it is active part which moves sap upward. Due
to activeness it is light in color and indicates freshly made.
4) CAMBIUM LAYER: It gives sap to sap wood, it contains fresh shape which is responsible for the
life of tree. It is middle part of sap wood and inner bark, if bark is removed then cambium fail to provide
sap to tree, and tree would be dead.
5) INNER BARK: It protect the cambium layer.
6) OUTER BARK: It is outermost part of tree which protect tree from any damage and withstand
property with any weather, it also protect inner portion. It is also called cortex.
7) MEDULLARY RAYS: These are radial rays formed from pith to cambium layer. It holds the sap
wood and heart wood. In some tree it can be seen as broken.

Defects in timber
1) Shakes in timber:
Shakes are nothing but cracks which separates the wood fibers partly or completely. Different
shakes are formed in different conditions as follows:
a) Cup shakes are formed due to non-uniform growth of a tree or excessive bending by cyclones
or winds. In this case, the shakes develop between annual rings and separates them partly.
b) Heart shakes, the other type of shakes which develop in maturity approaching trees whose
inner part is under shrinkage. The shake spread from pith to sap wood following the directions
of medullary rays.
c) Ring shakes are similar to cup shakes, but they completely separate the annual rings.
d) Star shakes are formed due to extreme heat or severe frost action. They develop wider cracks
on the outside of timber from bark to the sap wood.
e) Radial shakes are developed radially from pith to the bark.

2) Twisted Fibers in Timbers

When the tree in its younger age is exposed to high speed winds, the fibers of wood gets twisted.
This type of wood is not suitable for sawing. So, this can be used for making poles, posts etc.

3) Upsets
Upsets, a defect of timber in which the fibers of wood are crushed and compressed by fast
blowing winds or inappropriate chopping of tree.
4) Rind galls
Rind galls are curved swellings of trees which are formed at a point where a branch of the tress
is improperly removed or fell down.

5) Burls
Burls are uneven projections on the body of tree during its growth. These are mainly due to the
effect of shocks and injuries received by the tree during its young age.
6) Water strain
When the wood is in contact with water for some time, the water will damage the color of wood
and forms a stain on its surface. This defect is called as water stain.

7) Chemical strain
Chemical stain is formed on the wood by the action of any external chemical agents like
reaction by the gases present in atmosphere etc. The stain area gets discolored in this defect.

8) Dead wood
The wood obtained from the cutting of dead tree is light in weight and is actually defected. It is
reddish in color and its strength is very less.
9) Knots in timber
The central part or stem of a tree is majorly used in the conversion of timber. Branches from
the stem are removed and whole rounded stem is taken. But the base of branches forms a mark
on the stem which results dark colored stains on the surface after conversion. This dark colored
stains are due to the continuity of wood fibers. These dark colored rings are known as knots.

10) Coarse grain defect in timber

The age of tree can be known by the number of annual rings. For fast growing trees, the gap
between the annual rings is very large. This type of trees are called as coarse grained tress and
timber obtained from them is of less strength.

11) Timber foxiness

When the timber is stored without proper ventilation, the trees growth near the banks of water
bodies and over matured trees may exhibit this type of defect. Foxiness is generally indicated
by red or yellow spots.
 12) Druxiness
It is a defect of timber in which the top surface of timber indicates white spots. These spots will
give the access to fungi.

13) Callus
The wound of the tree is covered by a soft skin which is called as callus.

Seasoning of timber
It is the process by which moisture content in the timber is reduced to required level. By
reducing moisture content, the strength, elasticity and durability properties are developed. A
well-seasoned timber has 15% moisture content in it.

Methods of Seasoning of Timber

There are two methods of Seasoning of timber which are explained below
a)Natural seasoning
b)Artificial seasoning
 a) Natural seasoning
Natural seasoning is the process in which timber is seasoned by subjecting it to the natural
elements such as air or water. Natural seasoning may be water seasoning or air seasoning.
i)Water Seasoning
Water seasoning is the process in which timber is immersed in water flow which helps to
remove the sap (the fluid which circulates in the vascular system of a plant) present in the
timber. It will take 2 to 4 weeks of time and after that the timber is allowed to dry. Well-
seasoned timber is ready to use.
ii) Air Seasoning
In the process of air seasoning timber logs are arranged in layers in a shed. The arrangement is
done by maintaining some gap with the ground. So, platform is built on ground at 300mm
height from ground.
The logs are arranged in such a way that air is circulated freely between logs. By the movement
of air, the moisture content in timber slowly reduces and seasoning occurs. Even though it is a
slow process it will produce well-seasoned timber.

b) Artificial Seasoning

Natural seasoning gives good results but takes more time. So, artificial seasoning of timber is
developed nowadays. By artificial seasoning, timber is seasoned with in 4-5 days. Here also
different methods of artificial seasoning are there and they are as follows.
i) Seasoning by Boiling: Seasoning of timber is also achieved by boiling it in water for 3 to 4
hours. After boiling timber is allowed to drying. For large quantity of timber boiling is difficult
so, sometimes hot steam is passed through timber logs in enclosed room. It also gives good
results. The boiling or steaming process develops the strength and elasticity of timber but
economically it is of heavier cost.

ii) Chemical seasoning: In case of chemical seasoning, timber is stored in suitable salt solution
for some time. The salt solution used has the tendency to absorb water from the timber. So, the
moisture content is removed and then timber is allowed to drying. It affects the strength of the
timber.

iii) Kiln seasoning: In this method timber is subjected to hot air in air tight chamber. The hot
air circulates in between the timber logs and reduces the moisture content. The temperature
inside the chamber is raised with the help of heating coils. When the required temperature is
obtained moisture content and relative humidity gets reduced and timber gets seasoned. Even
though it is costly process it will give good results strength wise.

iv) Electrical seasoning: In the method of electrical seasoning timber is subjected to high
frequency alternating currents. The resistance of timber against electricity is measured at every
interval of time. When the required resistance is reached seasoning, process is stopped because
resistance of timber increases by reducing moisture content in it. It is also called as rapid
seasoning and it is uneconomical.

Preservation of timber
It is carried out to increase the life of timber. Preservation is done using different types of
preservatives.
Methods of Preservations:
a) Tarring: It is the method of applying a coat of tar.
 b) Charring: It is the method in which the timber poles and ports are dug into the ground .The
charcoal layer so formed is an easy safeguard against fungi.
c) Painting: By polishing, by washing, fire proofing, etc.
d) Fire proofing: A coating of any non- combustible protects the surface of the wood.

Wood based product

1) Veneers: A thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other
material. These are thin sheets or slices of wood of superior quality. The thickness of
veneers varies from 0.40 mm to 6 mm or more. They are obtained by rotating a log of wood
against a sharp knife of rotary cutter or saw. The veneers after being removed are dried in
kilns to remove moisture.
2) Plywood: The meaning of term ply is a thin layer. The plywood are boards which are
prepared from thin layers of wood or veneers. The three or more veneers in odd numbers
are placed one above the other with the direction of grains of successive layers at right
angles to each other. They are held in position by application of suitable adhesives. The
placing of veneers normal to each other increases the longitudinal and transverse strengths
of plywood.
3) Impreg Board: The timber which is fully or partly covered with resin is known as the
impreg timber. The usual resin employed is phenol formaldehyde which is insoluble in
water. The veneers or thin strips of woods are taken and they are immersed in resin. The
resin fills the space between wood cells and by chemical reaction, a consolidated mass
develops.
4) Compreg Board: The process of preparing compreg timbers is same as that of impreg
timbers except that curing is carried out under pressure. The strength and durability of
compreg timbers are more as compared to the impreg timbers. The sp. gravity of compreg
timbers is about 1.30 to 1.35.
5) Fibre Boards: These are rigid boards and they are also known as the pressed wood or
reconstructed wood. The thickness varies from 3 mm to 12 mm. They are available in
lengths varying from 3 m to 4.50 m and in widths varying from 1.20 m to 1.80 m. The
weight of Fiber boards depends on the pressure applied during manufacture. The maximum
and minimum limits of weight are respectively 9600 N/m3 and 500 to 600 N/m3.

Bamboo
 Bamboo is proved to be an important component of development since ancient times. The
preference of the bamboo for the construction of simple structure are summarized as the good
properties of it as:
1) The strength of columns, their straightness, smoothness, lightness combined with hardness and
greater hollowness.
2) It is easy to split the bamboo into suitable and regular size.
3) The different sizes, various lengths and thickness of their joints make them suitable for
numerous end products.
4) Bamboo has been proved to be a natural and excellent raw materials for manufacturing strong
furniture, handicrafts items.
 Bamboo as Construction Material
Bamboo of age 3-6 years are favorable for construction purpose. Due to the properties like high
strength –to – weight ratio, easy workability and availability, bamboo has been used for various
purposes as:
1) Bamboo trusses
2) Bamboo wall/ ceiling
3) Bamboo doors and window
4) Bamboo flooring
5) Scaffolding
6) Erosion Control
7) Paper
8) Structural reinforcement