Course syllabus for Timber engineering

Course syllabus adopted 2024-02-13 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameTräkonstruktioner
  • CodeVSM196
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPSEB
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyCivil and Environmental Engineering
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 22127
  • Maximum participants72 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0107 Examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH		 7.5 c
  • Contact examiner

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Good understanding of the material behaviour of wood, of structural mechanics, and in design and analysis of structural members, for instance through the courses Materials Performance, Structures and Structural systems. Basic knowledge about the finite element method is recommended, for instance through the course Finite element method - basics. 

Aim

The aim is to provide advanced knowledge in the design of simple and complex timber structures, detailing and connections. This includes the skills necessary to evaluate and design the structural system for multi-storey timber buildings and wide span structures with walls, floors, columns, beams, and/or trusses made of timber elements. The course provides an understanding of both general structural performance and how various more complex elements such as engineered wood products (EWP) including glulam, cross-laminated timber, wood-based box beams and I-beams, and wood-based panels behave in the structure. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on understanding the design of connections and some detailing, as well as the design of members with combined cross-sections, to enable evaluation of the behaviour of different elements in serviceability conditions, including the vibration and springiness in timber-based floors. The course is based on the state-of-the-art and gives introduction into the regulations specified in Eurocode 5 (the European standard for the design of timber structures).

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

After this course, students will be equipped to work at structural engineering companies and be able to design the vast majority of timber structures. Students will obtain practical experience of the possibilities of designing the main parts of multi-storey timber buildings and wide span structures. In order to do this, students should be able to:
  • Identify and explain the specific aspects of timber construction, the strengths and weaknesses and some specific challenges related to the design
  • Applying Eurocode 5 to perform structural design of timber structures
  • Describe, explain, construct, examine (design) and verify stabilizing structural systems for multi-storey timber buildings
  • Describe the effects of the different components of wood-based floor elements, evaluate their static behaviour, investigate their dynamic behaviour and assess the components and properties that influence this behaviour
  • Identify the demands on connections used in timber construction and assemble and design adequate connections for individual situations
  • Optimize structures with regard to structural performance, economy and appearance, based on the critical understanding of the properties and behaviour of members and connections.

Content

The course consists of four main areas and they include:

A) Introduction to Eurocode 5 (EC5)
  1. Material properties related to EC5
  2. Structural timber, Glulam, CLT, and engineering wood products (EWP) - main differences
B) Design of structural timber elements in ULS and SLS
  1. Tension, compression and loading at the angle to the grain
  2. Cross-sections subjected to combined stresses
  3. Glulam beams with varying cross-sections: tapered, curved and pitched cambered
  4. Glued thin-webbed beams (I-beams and box beams) and Glued thin-flanged beams and elements
  5. Vibration and springiness in floors
  6. Fire & Timber
C) Design and production of multi-storey buildings
  1. Structural systems and construction methods of timber buildings
  2. Stabilising systems for multi-storey timber buildings and long span structures
  3. Models for shear walls, diaphragms and their design
  4. CLT Structures
D) Detailing and connections
  1. Dowel-type joints – theory and optimisation
  2. Conception of mechanical and glued joints
  3. Strengthening and repair of timber structures
  4. Notched beams, holes, splitting and cracking

Organisation

The teaching and learning activities in the course include lectures, exercises and project work. 

Lectures: To promote deep learning the classroom activities will include a mixture of lectures, exercises, and guest lectures. Students need to pre-read the contents in order to prepare for discussions during the lectures.

Exercises and examples: Tasks during lectures are designed to give students opportunities for group work, discussion, and presentation. Exercises and examples are given to students for individually solving the questions and training the course content. 

Project work: The course includes project work covering a Design Task and a FEM workshop. More details are provided in the course description and the instructions to the Design Task and FEM workshop. The project work is designed to enable the students to solve open questions and be creative in the design process of a timber structure. The project work will be re-ported and presented by the students in the end of the course. The design task and FEM workshop will be done in groups of students.

Literature

The list of course literature is provided in the course description and includes:
  • Instructions to the Design Task, FEM workshop, lecture notes, exercises and examples
  • Extracts from Eurocode 5 
  • “Design of timber structures Vol 1, 2, 3”. 2016 by Swedish wood, 2nd edition, Stock-holm.
  • Additional books with useful background: 
    • "Timber Engineering - Principles for Design", 2017 by C. Sandhaas and H.J. Blaß, Karlsruhe KIT Scientific Publishing, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5445/KSP/1000069616 
    • "Structural Timber Design to Eurocode 5" 2013 by J. Porteous and A. Kermani.

Examination including compulsory elements

The assessment in the course “Timber Engineering” consists of the following parts:
  • Project work consisting of:
    • Design Task (in group)
    • FEM Workshop (in group)
  • A final exam (individual).
The project work (Design Task and FEM workshop) accounts for 30% of the final grade in the course, the final exam accounts for 70% of the final grade in the course. To pass this course it is necessary to pass the exam.

In order to take part in the exam both parts of the project work (Design Task and FEM workshop) have to be approved. The exam has two parts; one part with theoretical questions (descriptive and multi-choice questions), and one part with design problems to solve. To pass the exam both parts have to be approved (at least 40% of the points of each part), and at least 40% of the total points is required. Registration through the Student Portal is necessary.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.