Structural elements

The place of tree growing for the future glued beams

Depending on climate and geography, even the same tree species may have unique properties. A characteristic property of coniferous trees growing in the north is the density of the annual growth layers that provides them with excellent strength and then the durability of all the wooden structures of the houses. In the rough North, trees need much time to grow, so their wood is harder than that of other regions of Russia.

Choosing the TMK company

Having analysed the properties of different types of wood, we concluded that the best solution for building a wooden house would be the use of the wood as follows:

1. Two lower timber sets are of the strong Siberian larch, the remaining crowns – pine, northern spruce;
2. All timber sets of a house are made of spruce;
3. All timber sets are made of the strong Siberian larch

The glued laminated timber results from using a very good modern wood processing technology. When glued beams are used in the construction of houses, the TMK company guarantees reliable and durable walls.

Structural glued, laminated timber are lamellas (layers) glued together with a total length of up to 12 metres. They are formed by putting along the length of sorted, maximally dried and high-quality planed elements from which defects such as protruding knots, cracks, blues etc. are removed. Due to this, the glued beams demonstrate the remarkable quality of surfaces that cannot be achieved using a single log or beam. Therefore, such high-quality wood processing makes it possible to exclude any further interior decoration of the walls of a house/building. Glued beams and rafters as well as other load-bearing structures of the house in themselves are beautiful decorative elements that create a cozy and amazing appearance of the constructed house.

Glued laminated timber profile

The timber strip production technology in the TMK company is designed to use a specially shaped tooth profile. The ridges and grooves of the adjacent beams provide an excellent ‘interference’ connection, due to which the beams are securely and firmly fixed in the wall. The special profile does not require putting any seal between the beams. Shortly after the construction, the house walls become hermetically sealed and monolithic excluding any wind blowing, penetration of unnecessary moisture or freezing. Only the interlock joints in the corners of the houses are to be insulated.

Number of lamellas

The beam properties depend on the number of its wooden strong lamellas (joined along the entire length of the boards).

Based on European standards, the company experts produced an optimal design of the wooden glued beams. Almost every lamella has a height of up to 33 mm for larch and 42 mm for spruce.

Setting

The yield or setting of the glued laminated timber houses in Kaliningrad is minimal and does not exceed 1-2%. This makes it possible to proceed to interior design without any break after the erection of a solid structure and celebrate a house-warming party in a timber house as early as in 6 months.

Reliability

For many years, the security of tenants will be guaranteed by the following factors:

• A well-thought-out design of a glued laminated timber house;
• High quality of the glued laminated wood;
• State-of-the-art technology for the manufacture of all house structures;
• Meeting all requirements for the organisation and conduct of all assembly operations

Heat insulation

The thermal insulation characteristics of the tree is obviously better than those of the brick as a brick wall of 1,000 mm has a lower R-value than a glued beam wall of 202 mm.

Environmental friendliness

In homes made of the glued laminated timber there is always healthy and pleasant air. Due to the special structure of coniferous wood, such a house maintains regular humidity and oxygen balance. The wood of all coniferous species correctly influences the entire microclimate in the room. The glued laminated timber uses environmentally friendly glue compounds of the Akzo Nobel company. The TMK glued laminated timber in Kaliningrad is an environmentally friendly material for the construction of houses.

Fire resistance

The fire resistance of glued wood even not treated with any flame retardants is higher than that of ordinary metal by 2-4 times. In fires, the cross-section of beams per minute decreases by 0.6-1 mm depending on the primary section. In case of fire, the glued structures keep their bearing capacity for a long period of time. These unique properties of glued wood are to quickly evacuate people and render material values. To avoid unexpected accidents, the house dwellers can install fire extinguishing systems and alerts in the house. In addition, at the request of customers, TMK can make fire retardant treatment of all roof truss structures directly at the factory.

The flame retardant impregnation action is as follows. Under the influence of high temperature (flame), the flame retardant decomposes into gaseous and solid combustion products. Gaseous substances take away heat from the wood (thereby cooling it) and in parallel hinder its combustion, and solid particles form a special film on the surface that blocks access to oxygen from the air necessary to maintain burning.