Guest Editors
Mahmud Ashraf, Associate Professor, Structural Engineering at the School of Engineering, Deakin University, Australia
Prof. Mahmud Ashraf is currently leading the Engineered Timber Research Group in Deakin university with support from a number of key stakeholders in the Australian timber industry. He is working towards developing design codes for structural use of bamboo and engineered bamboo products in collaboration with INBAR (International Network for Bamboo and Rattan) and Nanjing Forestry University (China). Although his recent research interests are primarily focussed on renewable bio-composite materials and structures, Mahmud contributed significantly in the field of thin-walled metallic structures including stainless steel and high strength steel structures as well as 3D printed innovative metallic components. Mahmud is a very passionate academic, who played a key role in developing a new masters course on Infrastructure Engineering and Management to produce industry ready graduates for large infrastructue projects including railway engineering.
Summary
Mass timber construction is gaining popularity in the construction sector for a number of reasons including renewable and environmentally sustainable material choice, innovative and customized options available with engineered mass timber products and aesthetics – these are just a few of a very long list of criteria that can justify use of timber in structures. Cross laminated timber has attracted the most interest from architects, engineers and builders with glulam being the other major engineered timber used in large scale construction. This surge in usage always require significant research and innovation.
This special issue will cover all aspects of research innovation that are related to the mass timber construction revolution. Review articles, in-depth scientific investigations looking at structural, material, cost, construction technique and environmental impact aspects will be the primary target for this issue.
Keywords
Engineered Wood Products; Mass timber; Cross laminated timber (CLT); Glue laminated timber (GLT); Laminated vineer lumber (LVL); Bio-composite materials; Sustainable construction; Sustainable materials
Published Papers
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Classification of Principal Wood Species in China Based on the Physiomechanical Properties
Jianyi Zhu, Hui Peng, Xiaoning Lu, Jianxiong Lyu, Tianyi Zhan
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.3, pp. 1425-1437, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.023464
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract Many tree species are planted in China with variable properties and usage. Toward exploring the structure-properties relationships of wood and classifying the species more reasonably, the physiomechanical properties of the domestic wood species in China were analyzed statistically. According to the correlation analysis, the mechanical properties were closely related to the wood density. Except impact toughness and cleavage strength, the correlation coefficients between mechanical properties and densities were more than 0.8. However, shrinkage properties showed fewer correlations with densities, and the coefficient was no more than 0.7. Primary component analysis was proved to be feasible to explore the information of…
More >
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Field Application of Mulberry Straw Arch in Ecological Bank Revetment
Xiaojuan Yu, Chao Liu, Quan Hua, Xiaohui Wang, Yongbin Li
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.10, pp. 2607-2621, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.019091
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract With the growing level of awareness and increasing demand for environmental protection, timber pile revetments
with significant ecological effects have experienced increasingly wide application in China. The current timber pile
revetment system has two problems: continuous dense piles have high construction costs and require large timber
consumptions, while the discrete pile-bamboo fence systems have poor retaining effects. Considering these problems, an original revetment structure form is proposed: a discrete pile-mulberry straw arch structure. To investigate the mechanical properties of the mulberry straw, some mechanical tests are conducted on mulberry straw
and its arch structure. It is found that the average…
More >
Graphic Abstract
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Influence of the Loading Protocol and Loading Rate on the Characteristics of Timber Nail Joints
Shervin Shameli Derakhshan, Lina Zhou, Chun Ni
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.10, pp. 2655-2667, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.020671
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract Nail joints are one of the key components that control the lateral performance of light wood frame shear walls. In previous experimental studies, researchers have used different loading rates, which failed specimens from less than a minute to more than an hour, to study the characteristics of nail joints. Moreover, there have been different loading protocols used for testing of timber nail joints or shear walls. Although some efforts have been made to address this subject, it is still unclear how the loading protocol and loading rate may influence the performance of nail joints. In this study, a total of…
More >
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Study on Properties of Blue-Brick Masonry Materials for Historical Buildings
Shaochun Ma, Lin Wang, Peng Bao
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.7, pp. 1961-1978, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.018755
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract There are a large number of historic buildings which were mainly made of blue-brick masonry in today’s world.
However, for the natural and man-made reasons, these historic buildings have been damaged in different degrees.
In order to protect historic buildings more scientifically and learn about the preservation state of existing historic
buildings, it is necessary to ascertain the material properties of blue brick in historic buildings. The article takes
the blue bricks of historical buildings in Kaifeng area of the Central Plains as an example to study. Through the
analysis of physical properties, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning…
More >
Graphic Abstract
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Comparative Study on Various Strength Parameters of Structural Elements Made from Cross-Laminated Timber
Mohammad Anwar-Us-Saadat, Janeshka Goonewardena, Bidur Kafle, Mahmud Ashraf, Mahbube Subhani
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.6, pp. 1575-1606, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.018919
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract Cross laminated timber (CLT) is an innovative and environment friendly engineered timber product with superior structural performance. CLT offers strong resistance against both in-plane and out-of-plane loading. Hence, it is widely used as floors, roofs or wall elements. Considerable experimental research on CLT under various loading conditions has been done in the recent past. This article presents a comprehensive review of various design methods to determine basic mechanical properties such as tension, compression and rolling shear strength of CLT with primary focus on Norway spruce. All relevant experimental data available from existing literature were collated and consequently been used to…
More >
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Experimental Investigation of the Creep Behaviour of Glulam Compression-Bending Members
Yifei Yin, Lirong Qu, Weidong Lu, Chengshuai Li
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.6, pp. 1517-1535, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.018149
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract Creep test results of glulam members under compression and bending were studied in this paper. The creep tests were conducted to investigate the influence of the stress level and relative eccentricity on the creep deformation of glulam members. The test results showed that the creep deformation trends of glulam members under long-term compression and bending loading were similar; the creep deformation increased with increases in both the stress level and relative eccentricity. However, the relative creep deformation decreased with the increase in both the stress level and relative eccentricity under long-term loading, and a five-parameter creep model was proposed to…
More >
Graphic Abstract
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Mechanical Properties of Moso Bamboo Connections with External Clamp Steel Plates
Shidong Nie, Song Ran, Di Wu, Jieyu Chen, Hui Wang, Qike Wei
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.2, pp. 487-510, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017275
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract The Moso bamboo, a renewable green building material used in various new green buildings, have received extensive attention with the promotion of the concept of green buildings. To explore the mechanical properties of
Moso bamboo connections with external clamp steel plates, the 16 specimens were designed by changing the bolt
diameters and the end distances of the bolt holes. Their static tension tests were conducted to investigate bearing
capacities and failure modes of different connection configurations. Based on test results, three failure modes of
these connections were obtained, including the shear failure of bolt shank, bearing failure of bolt hole…
More >
Graphic Abstract
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Study of the Single Shear Performance of a Joint with a New Beech and Self-Tapping Screw Composite Dowel
Xudong Zhu, Yingying Xue, Xuewen Zhang, Pengfei Qi, Jie Shen, Changtong Mei
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.2, pp. 401-413, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.016464
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract A new beech and self-tapping screw composite dowel is proposed and studied, its performance being compared with that of beech dowels and self-tapping screws alone. The single shear performance of components connected by composite dowels was tested. Results show that the dowels are a good choice for components requiring high stiffness. Screws remain a good choice for components requiring excellent seismic performance. Combination group presents similar maximum load stiffness to those of composite dowels, but other ductility parameters are superior for composite dowels. The best connection mode was provided by two composite dowels. Based on connecting two points, structural elements…
More >
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Numerical Investigation of Connection Performance of Timber-Concrete Composite Slabs with Inclined Self-Tapping Screws under High Temperature
Zhentao Chen, Weidong Lu, Yingwei Bao, Jun Zhang, Lu Wang, Kong Yue
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 89-104, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.015925
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract The timber-concrete composite (TCC) slabs have become a preferred choice of floor systems in modern multi
story timber buildings. This TCC slab consisted of timber and a concrete slab which were commonly connected
together with inclined self-tapping screws (STSs). To more accurately predict the fire performance of TCC slabs,
the mechanical behavior of TCC connections under high temperature was investigated by numerical simulation in
this study. The interface slip of TCC connections was simulated by a proposed Finite Element (FE) model at room
temperature, and different diameter and penetration length screws were considered. The effectiveness of this FE
model was…
More >
Graphic Abstract
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Pull-out Behaviour of Axially Loaded Screwed-in Threaded Rods Embedded in CLT Elements: Experimental Study
Huifeng Yang, Junfeng Ji, Haotian Tao, Benkai Shi, Junbin Hu, Bo Wen
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 105-117, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.016118
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract Experimental investigation on the pull-out behaviour, including the withdrawal capacity, slip stiffness and interfacial shear stress, of axially loaded screwed-in threaded rod embedded in cross laminated timber (CLT) was conducted. Specimens with varying embedment length and different number of threaded rods were tested in this
study. To prevent premature splitting failure of timber, some specimens were reinforced in the direction perpendicular to the timber grain with self-tapping screws. Test results showed that the screwed-in threaded rod connections exhibited good pull-out behaviour with high withdrawal capacity and slip stiffness. Within a certain
range, the withdrawal capacity increases considerably with the increase…
More >
Graphic Abstract
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Understanding the Impacts of Plant Capacities and Uncertainties on the Techno-Economic Analysis of Cross-Laminated Timber Production in the Southern U.S.
Zhenzhen Zhang, Kai Lan
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 53-73, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017506
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract Understanding the economic feasibility of cross-laminated timber (CLT), an emerging and sustainable alternative to concrete and steel, is critical for the rapid expansion of the mass timber industry. However, previous studies on economic performance of CLT have not fully considered the variations in the feedstock, plant capacities, manufacturing parameters, and capital and operating costs. This study fills this gap by developing a techno-economic analysis of producing CLT panels in the Southern United States. The effects of those variations on minimum selling price (MSP) of CLT panels are explored by Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that, across all the plant…
More >
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Physical, Anatomical, and Photochemical Analyses of Some Exotic Wood Species Submitted to Heat Treatment
Alper Aytekin, Hikmet Yazıcı
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.8, pp. 1485-1501, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.015768
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat treatment on decorative properties including glossiness, color coordinates including lightness (L), blue-yellow (b*) and red-green (a*), hardness (shore-D) morphological characterization and thermal properties of some exotic wood species. Heat treatment of anigre (
Aningeria altissima), cedrorana (
Cedrelinga catenaeformis), cemara (
Casuarina sumatrana) and coronilla (
Scutia buxifolia) wood materials were performed in an oven with a programmable controller at 210°C for 3 h. The obtained samples were conditioned in a climate cabin and the decorative properties, morphological characterization with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal properties with thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) of…
More >
Graphic Abstract
-
Open Access
ARTICLE
Bonding Mechanism of Bamboo Particleboards Made by Laccase Treatment
Jin Wang, Weigang Zhang, Xiaowei Zhuang
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.3, pp. 557-568, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.013269
（This article belongs to this Special Issue:
Research and Innovations in Engineered Timber and Mass Timber Products for Sustainable Built-Environment)
Abstract Using 1–8 years bamboo as materials, the content of different chemical constituent was tested, and the
reactive oxygen species (ROS) free radicals produced from laccase treated bamboo were detected by electron
spin-resonance (ESR) spectroscope. The wet-process particleboard was made from laccase-treated bamboo by
hot pressing and board mechanical properties including internal bond strength (IB), modulus of rupture
(MOR) and thickness swelling (TS) after 2-hours water absorption were tested under different conditions.
Results showed that laccase mainly catalyze the bamboo components and improved the bonding strength of
laccase-treated boards. By ESR measurement on each single component such as milled bamboo lignin,…
More >
Login
Register
Submit a Paper
Propose a Special lssue