Structural strength properties and design aids for coconut lumber

• Main Authors: Estanero, Sheena M., Guirindola, Agnes G.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1995
• Subjects: Coconut palm; Coconut products; Wood; Lumber; Strength of materials; Materials > Testing; Structural design; Civil Engineering
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_honors/65
• Institution: De La Salle University

This research project consists of two phases. First, an investigation into the load-deformation characteristics of coconut lumber in bending and in compression was conducted. Second, design aids for beams and columns of coconut lumber had been prepared. In general, test results in both tests indicate that similar to concrete, cocolumber behaves either as a brittle or a ductile material. The harder the cocolumber, the more brittle it becomes. Conversely, the softer the wood, the more ductile it is. For both beams and columns, it had been observed that even if the specimens had deflected excessively, they could still sustain additional loads. In addition, even when the specimens had already undergone initial splitting of fibers, they could still carry a considerable amount of load before they finally break. Design aids shorten and simplify calculations for designers. In this light, the lack of design tools for timber in this country prompted the researchers to come up with the design aids in bending and compression for coconut lumber. The design aids, herein, are composed of tablets and charts, containing allowable moments and uniform loads for beams as well as allowable concentrated loads for columns. These values were arrived at using the latest provisions on timber contained in the National Structural Code of the Philippines (1992).