{"id":1030,"date":"2021-03-24T18:26:32","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T18:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usihome.com\/?p=1030"},"modified":"2021-03-24T18:26:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T18:26:32","slug":"characteristics-of-glulam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usihome.com\/en\/characteristics-of-glulam\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the characteristics, uses and advantages of glulam?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Glulam, short for glued laminated timber, is a type of engineered wood often confused with cross laminated timber that is becoming increasingly popular for use in various types of building construction and renovation projects.<\/p>\n

At Usihome, we sometimes incorporate glulam into our prefabricated structural wood products<\/a> due to its unique characteristics and advantages, which differ from traditional lumber.<\/p>\n

In this article, you can learn all about glulam and get a feel for why this material is becoming so popular!<\/p>\n

What is glulam?<\/h2>\n

Glulam is a type of engineered wood used as construction material. It is made by gluing together small wood slats (generally between 6 and 45\u00a0mm thick) that likely would not be used otherwise.<\/p>\n

Once glued together with weatherproof structural adhesive, glulam can be used to build large pieces and unique shapes (straight or curved) that are valued for their mechanical strength, dimensional stability and aesthetic qualities.<\/p>\n

Properties of glulam<\/h2>\n

Because the slats used to make glulam come from smaller trees, the adverse effects of knots and other defects on the mechanical properties of wood are lessened. As a result, glulam is generally sturdier and more homogenous than large, solid softwood lumber<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Moreover, since the slats are dried individually at the plant before being glued together, glulam is also more dimensionally stable than solid lumber.<\/p>\n

Glulam manufacturing procedure<\/h2>\n

Manufacturing glulam combines two very old woodworking techniques: gluing and laminating.<\/p>\n

To create solid laminate, multiple pieces of wood are dried and then stacked together with the wood grain parallel. (For cross laminated timber, the wood grain is placed perpendicularly.) Pine, larch, spruce, hemlock and even fir slats can be used, depending on the region.<\/p>\n

To create effective structural elements, the slats must be joined together with waterproof adhesives so strong that they can replace the joins usually made by steel and screws.<\/p>\n

According to the CCQ, glulam is considered \u201clarge lumber\u201d once it reaches the minimum dimensions. It must therefore be manufactured in conformity with CSA O122 \u2013\u00a0Structural glued-laminated timber<\/em>, and the manufacturer must be in conformity with CSA O177 \u2013\u00a0Qualification Code for Manufacturers of Structural Glued-Laminated Timber<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Based on evaluation criteria such as the allowable bending<\/a> stress of the piece (x10\u00b2\u00a0psi) and the homogeneity of the laminations used, glulam manufactured in Canada is graded as \u201cgeneric\u201d or \u201cproprietary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Main uses of glulam<\/h2>\n

Glulam is recommended for all types of construction, from residential projects to industrial buildings.<\/p>\n

This type of structural composite lumber can be used to manufacture various structural elements of a building:<\/p>\n