What Is Glued Laminated Wood (Glulam)?
What Is Glued Laminated Wood (Glulam)?
Glued Laminated Wood (Glulam) is a structural material made of several layers of timber boards glued together in a uniform direction along their length.
It is one of the oldest composite materials and can be used for large-span support elements in commercial, residential and industrial applications.
Glulam offers excellent strength, durability, and resistance to splitting, shrinking or warping due to its combination of timber and specialized adhesives.
It also has an aesthetically pleasing appearance with minimal exposed fasteners which allows designers to create unique structures that combine strength with beauty.
What Is A Glulam Beam Used For?
A glulam beam is a structural component made from wood and typically used in heavier load bearing applications as an alternative to steel or concrete.
Glulam beams are constructed with laminations of dimensional lumber that have been glued and pressed together, making them significantly stronger than solid timber.
They are often used in timber frame construction, exposed rafters and trusses, large wooden roofs, bridges, and more.
Glulam beams offer greater strength-to-weight ratio than steel or concrete equivalents and can span much longer distances with less support when compared to standard timbers.
As a result, they are well suited for engineering purposes such as curved architectural designs which require large spans of material with good strength properties.
What Is Glue Laminated Timber Glulam And What Are Its Advantages?
Glue Laminated Timber (Glulam) is an engineered wood product made up of several layers of glued timber known as laminates.
It is commonly used for beams, columns and purlins in structural applications due to its strength, durability and beauty.
Glulam offers advantages such as increased span lengths, superior dimensional stability, reduced shrinking and warping over time, the ability to withstand harsh weather conditions without deterioration, resistance to corrosion and insect attacks; it also has a good fire-resistance rating.
Glulam can be used in a variety of structures, from bridges and multi-storey buildings to homes and playgrounds. The low environmental impact of this product makes it especially attractive for eco-friendly projects.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Glulam?
Glulam has its disadvantages including being less strong than comparable solid timber, susceptibility to decay and shrinkage, moisture absorption and warping, limited fire resistance, complex manufacturing process with high costs and it is not a strong bonding surface for adhesives.
The large number of gluelines required means that there is potential for the product to be unstable if the adhesive bonds are weak or break down over time.
Glulam also has a troublesome waste profile as waste generated during fabrication can be substantial due to the laminated structure of this material.
Splinters are also an issue with glulam as they tend to occur when cutting or drilling into it.
Why Is A Glulam Beam Stronger Than A Solid Piece Of Wood?
Glulam beams are stronger than solid pieces of wood because they are constructed from multiple layers of glued-together laminates, providing superior strength and greater resistance to shrinkage, warping and splitting.
The laminated construction distributes weight evenly over the entire beam, reducing stress points and improving the overall stability.
Glulam beams also have the benefit of being light in weight yet very strong due to the gluing process used for its assembly.
This makes them ideal for use in large structures like bridges and tall buildings, where traditional lumber would be too weak or too heavy to be used effectively.
