Surface splits in outdoor undercover unfinished glued laminated timber
Abstract
Abstract Surface splits occur in glued laminated timber exposed to outdoor undercover conditions, protected from precipitation, and can adversely impact a structures performance. An 18 month field exposure trial in sub-tropical Australia, investigated the occurrence and development of surface splits in unfinished glued laminated timber, manufactured from a hybrid plantation Pinus species using a polyurethane adhesive. Surface splits were assessed by measuring split length to the nearest 5 mm. Surface split development was found to reflect a sigmoid deterioration pattern with four stages; 1) no splits, 2) split initiation, 3) split extension, and 4) split stabilization. This study found minimal evidence of a size effect impacting surface splits. Surface splits were found to increase proportionally as the magnitude of solar radiation on a surface increased. Radially orientated splits on tangential surfaces were found to occur sooner and extend further than tangentially orientated splits on radial surfaces. Surface splits were found to stabilize after about 6–9 months of exposure. Latewood on gluelines was associated with more than 90 % of glueline delamination. The nature and location of latewood both on exposed surfaces in laminates, and at gluelines was found to influence surface splits in glued laminated timber.
Reference
Geoff Stringer. (2025). Surface splits in outdoor undercover unfinished glued laminated timber. Holzforschung. https://doi.org/10.1515/hf-2025-0012
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