This book brings together up to date information from research and practice about the interaction between moisture changes and mechanical loading, which may lead to excessive deflections or joint movements in timber structures. It has important applications in timber engineering, and consequences for national and international structural codes of practice.

Creep deformation influences the serviceability limit state as well as the ultimate limit state of timber structures. In order to consider this time-dependent behavior, creep coefficients and rheological models have been developed by various researchers. Comparing the rheological models, quite different temporal deformations are evaluated for a duration of load of 50 years. In order to find the model, which is most suitable to the situation in the region of Tubingen, South-West Germany, the existing deformations of several beams in roof structures in opened, protected but not heated buildings are measured. By loading the structure the elastic global stiffness of the particular element is determined. So creep coefficients can be evaluated, which should have been used by the engineer in order to get the existing deflection after 50 years. Within the region of Tubingen, on average a creep coefficient of 2.23 was found based on these measurements. However, the standard deviation of 0.97 is quite large. For the numerical evaluation of the time-dependent behavior Toratti's model is modified, so that it matches the measured deformations.

Timber is one of the oldest of man's building materials, but because the building scene today is dominated by concrete and steel, many designers are unfamiliar with the properties of timber and its structural vocabulary. This new book begins with an extended introduction to timber as a building material: its various forms and properties, its response to environmental conditions, and the Building Regulations relating to its use. It goes on to follow the general sequence of work, starting with the commission, and then dealing with the survey, the investigation and the appraisal.

Good,No Highlights,No Markup,all pages are intact, Slight Shelfwear,may have the corners slightly dented, may have slight color changes/slightly damaged spine.