The effect of workmanship on the design of notched timber beams

Carolan, Alan (2014) The effect of workmanship on the design of notched timber beams. Bachelors thesis, Dundalk Institute of Technology.

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Abstract

Timber beam notching has always been a staple of a carpenter's arsenal in the pursuit to make things fit. The effects of such actions are little known and this report intends to review the design process of notching, to answer certain questions. Why are the load carrying capacities of notched beams so much lower than standard beams? To what degree would this strength reduction be influenced by variations in the fabrication of said notches? To that end a review of the current understanding in timber notch design based on linear fracture mechanics theory which is the study of the effect of creating a point of concentration in an element, will be undertaken. Then a series of destructive tests to demonstrate the impact of notching timber as well as the effect of variance in workmanship in notch manufacture. The findings of this report are for the purposes of understanding the process and comment on the current level of understanding within the construction industry as to the implications of notching. This report does not intend to challenge any existing codes of practice, merely to understand the degree to which these codes allow for human error and negligence.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelors)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Carpentry; Timber beam notching; Linear fracture mechanics theory.
Subjects:	Engineering
Research Centres:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	Sean McGreal
Date Deposited:	29 Jul 2015 13:30
Last Modified:	29 Jul 2015 13:30
URI:	https://eprints.dkit.ie/id/eprint/431

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