The first and most obvious benefit of glulam is that its main component, timber, grows out of the ground and does not need to be mined and subjected to the high energy demand manufacturing processes that steel and cement require.
The lamination process is inherently flexible and we can produce glulam in different sizes, much larger than traditional lumber. Our glulam is made using the most advanced mechanical presses which can be configured to make custom and often complex shapes.
Glulam is often chosen over steel or concrete for its appearance, and is often credited with creating a warm and comfortable feel to a building. There are many different timber species and treatments available all with their own character that can be tailored to suit your requirements. Glulam is also less prone to shaking, checking and warping since the smaller pieces of wood have been seasoned and laminated. This generally makes Glulam more stable than traditional timber.
Timber has an excellent strength to weight ratio in comparison with steel and concrete. If you consider equivalent beam sizes for the same load bearing capacity in glulam and steel, glulam has approximately 1.5 – 2 times the strength to weight ratio of steel. This means there is a benefit in the ‘buildability’ of glulam structures – this could be it becomes possible to manhandle a beam into a roof space, or on a larger scale, craning of large prefabricated roof elements becomes feasible. Another advantage is that smaller foundations are needed for a reduced structure weight.
Species of timber, type of glue and preservative type and application are all factors in the durability of glulam. Given the correct specification glulam can be used for the most onerous of conditions. One instance where glulam is chosen for its durability is in swimming pool structures – this is a particularly corrosive environment with high humidity and chlorine levels and glulam provides a durable low maintenance solution. Glulam is designed to last for decades with a minimum of maintenance.
Off site fabrication can allow higher quality to be achieved than in the less controlled conditions of a construction site. The process of glue laminating timber eliminates the natural performance variations that characterise solid sawn timber. As glulam beams are engineered wood products manufactured to meet specific performance criteria, the specifier and user can be assured that glulam products will consistently perform as expected.
Large section timber elements actually perform very well in fires. This is due to the way in which timber chars at a known rate and does not deform like steel. Fire performance of glulam has been the subject of extensive research and structural glulam members can be designed to last a certain period of time in a fire based on the rate at which it chars. Additional fire protective finishes can be used to further increase the fire performance.
Laminated timber is far superior to solid timber due to its high strength and dimensional stability. Where solid timber posts and beams will crack and twist, a glulam member in the same size (and often smaller) will remain stable for many years as well as retaining its aesthetic appeal.
Glulam beams are very efficient to produce. The energy required to produce a glue-laminated beam from the log is only a fraction of the energy required to produce steel or concrete. Glulam has superior earthquake resilience and greater resistance to fire than any other structural construction material.
A common type of wood is likely to be hollow inside and rotten. Due to termites and ants, its structure is weak. And that structure becomes completely hollow and weak within a few years. But if we talk about glulam timber then it is completely solid because it is made by joining several layers together in it. So the possibility of termite is very less.