Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Log wall-type construction
Patent
1994-01-31
1996-02-27
Bray, W. Donald
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Log wall-type construction
52574, 52578, 144329, 144345, 144348, 144352, 144362, 144380, 156182, 156257, 156300, 428 58, 428134, 428136, B27M 300, E04C 312, B27D 100
Patent
active
054938309
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a timber element.
The invention also concerns a procedure for manufacturing a timber element.
Round timbers and dressed timber made from one log are known in prior art. These normal, conventional timbers are frequently subject to cracking as the dry out, in such a way that the splits and cracks become visible on the side faces, that is, in the walls of the timber building. The detriment from such cracks is, primarily, aesthetic deficiency: a cracked wall surface is no nice view. A further drawback resulting from the cracks is impaired insulating capacity of the wall and, further, ready access of water from the exterior surface, through the cracks into the wood, where damage is likely to ensue.
The state of art knows a timber element which is composed of at least two timber blanks which have been fitted together and glued to each other. A timber element of this kind, and a procedure for manufacturing same, is disclosed in the Finnish Patent No. 79966.
In the reference cited, the timber element is made of a wooden blank which has been sawn from a log so that the heartwood portion of the timber lies closer to the horizontal faces of the ultimate timber element than to its vertical faces exposed to external view. When this principle is followed, cracks will appear in the wooden blank, and also in the timber element, mainly on the sawn surfaces lying close to the heartwood, i.e., in the interior of the timber element.
The drawback embarrassing the procedure of the reference is that the cutting of the wooden blank from the log is done with very special arrangements; the cutting is done, arranging the heartwood portion of the wooden blank to lie closer to two given, opposed sides than to the other two opposed sides. The wooden blanks are joined to each other only by those sides which lie closer to the heartwood portion, to form a timber element. This procedure aims to benefit of the known fact that cracks will form in the wood substance on those surfaces which are closest to the heartwood, when the timber is being dried. However, the procedure implies careful control and it is therefore highly labour-intensive. Moreover, the log is not used efficiently when the wooden blank is cut in this manner. All these circumstances contribute to higher manufacturing costs of the timber element.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to disclose a novel timber element and a novel procedure for manufacturing such a timber element in which the drawbacks and problems discussed above can be substantially avoided. The object of the invention is, in particular, to provide a timber element which is favourable in manufacturing cost and the manufacturing process of which is, furthermore, simple and reliable.
The timber element of the invention is composed of at least two heavy wooden blanks, or deals, fitted one upon the other and joined to each other by gluing at their substantially horizontal faces. As taught by the invention, each wooden blank is provided on at least one horizontal face with a guiding recess, longitudinal to the wooden blank and substantially vertically directed, to the purpose of guiding the cracking to take place in a vertical direction. The direction of any cracks that may appear in the wooden blank is likely to run towards said guiding recess because the crack distance is shortest in this particular direction, and this is therefore the direction in which the deformation stresses produced in the wood when it dries out are most advantageously discharged. There may be just one guiding recess longitudinal to the wooden blank, or there may be several recesses side by side.
In an embodiment of the invention, said recess is formed of a plurality of short recesses disposed with a spacing on one line. It is thus understood that the guiding recess may either be one coherent, straight recess with a length substantially equalling the length of the wooden blank, or a number of consecutive, short recesses in a line.
In an embodiment of the invent
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Bray W. Donald
Honkarakenne Oy
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