Wood and wood-based materials are taking centre stage in contemporary architecture — from striking multi-storey structures to innovative urban designs. Understanding their properties is essential to avoid costly mistakes and to apply standards such as Eurocode 5 with confidence.
This book offers a clear, practical overview of the key physical and mechanical characteristics of major wood species and wood-based products — including moisture behaviour, elasticity, creep, and strength. It also addresses crucial topics such as protection, fire performance, bonding, and non-destructive monitoring of timber structures.
Whether you are an architect, civil engineer, or a professional in the wood industry, this is your go-to reference for designing and building with timber. It is equally valuable as an introduction for mechanical engineers, chemists, automation specialists, and vocational students entering the field.
This accessible overview of the important physical-mechanical properties of the main wood species and typical wood-based materials covers moisture, elasticity and creep, and strength properties, and design to Eurocode 5. Plus wood protection, bonding and non-destructive monitoring. For architects, engineers, and students.
1. General Aspects of Using Wood in Construction,
2. The Structure of
Wood and Wood-Based Materials and Its Modification,
3. Structure-properties
relations of wood and wood-based materials,
4. Overview of the
physical-mechanical properties of wood and wood-based materials,
5.
Understanding the effects of moisture in wood and wood-based materials,
6.
Density of wood and wood-based materials,
7. Other Important Physical
Properties of Wood and Wood-Based Materials,
8. Elastic and inelastic
properties of wood and wood-based materials,
9. Strength properties of wood
and wood-based materials,
10. Durability of wood and wood-based materials,
11. Surface treatment,12. Bonding of wood,
13. Guidelines for the use of
timber in construction
Peter Niemz is an Emeritus Professor at the Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zürich, Switzerland, where he previously served as Head of the Wood Physics Group. He is an Elected Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science.
Dick Sandberg is a Mechanical Engineer and Professor of Design and Fabrication of Timber Constructions at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik, Norway, and an Elected Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science.
