Acacia mangium an alternative timber building material : a case study

Hamdan Husain, . (2000) Acacia mangium an alternative timber building material : a case study. [Proceedings Paper]

The diminishing supply of timber from natural forests due to increasing demand for forest products has stimulated interest in forest plantations. Natural forest takes considerable time to rejuvenate and compensatory forest plantations are seen as alternatives to fulfill the needs of sustainability. Among the fast growing tree species promoted in Malaysia is Acacia mangium. A. mangium plantations now cover some 80 of the total forest plantations area 51 745 ha. in Peninsular Malaysia. General aspects of research on this timber have been conducted but records and proper documentation on its potential usage are still lacking. In order to assess the suitability of using A. mangium for construction a house was built in 1998. The objective was to analyse the utilisation of A. mangium as a building material taking into account the preparation of raw material drying and preservative treatment timber engineering aspects and construction. This will be followed by monitoring the in-service performance to determine its performance under local environmental conditions. Special attention will be focussed on the structural performance of the engineered components. The economic aspects of the project will however not be discussed in this paper. Logs of 1.8m and 2.4m lenghts were obtained from 13 year-old thinnings. Owing to the inherent presence of heart rots in the logs care was taken to exclude or minimize them when obtaining the sawn timber. The timbers were conditioned to about 10-12 percent and then cross-cut planned finger jointed and glue-laminated with PRF to obtain the required lenghts for the construction. Each stage of production of the glue laminated members was monitored although it was not possible to strictly adhere to the established regimes in preparation of the material. Various problems encountered during the preparation of the components and construction are discussed. However the project has indicated the potential of using A. mangium as building compenents. Being able to control the sawing of the logs and the use of smaller size logs will help to optimise utilisation of the timber. The performance of the house constructed will be monitored and the data collected will contribute towards information on the use of plantation grown timbers for construction.

Full text available from:

Abstract

The diminishing supply of timber from natural forests due to increasing demand for forest products has stimulated interest in forest plantations. Natural forest takes considerable time to rejuvenate and compensatory forest plantations are seen as alternatives to fulfill the needs of sustainability. Among the fast growing tree species promoted in Malaysia is Acacia mangium. A. mangium plantations now cover some 80 of the total forest plantations area 51 745 ha. in Peninsular Malaysia. General aspects of research on this timber have been conducted but records and proper documentation on its potential usage are still lacking. In order to assess the suitability of using A. mangium for construction a house was built in 1998. The objective was to analyse the utilisation of A. mangium as a building material taking into account the preparation of raw material drying and preservative treatment timber engineering aspects and construction. This will be followed by monitoring the in-service performance to determine its performance under local environmental conditions. Special attention will be focussed on the structural performance of the engineered components. The economic aspects of the project will however not be discussed in this paper. Logs of 1.8m and 2.4m lenghts were obtained from 13 year-old thinnings. Owing to the inherent presence of heart rots in the logs care was taken to exclude or minimize them when obtaining the sawn timber. The timbers were conditioned to about 10-12 percent and then cross-cut planned finger jointed and glue-laminated with PRF to obtain the required lenghts for the construction. Each stage of production of the glue laminated members was monitored although it was not possible to strictly adhere to the established regimes in preparation of the material. Various problems encountered during the preparation of the components and construction are discussed. However the project has indicated the potential of using A. mangium as building compenents. Being able to control the sawing of the logs and the use of smaller size logs will help to optimise utilisation of the timber. The performance of the house constructed will be monitored and the data collected will contribute towards information on the use of plantation grown timbers for construction.

[error in script]

Item Type:	Proceedings Paper
Additional Information:	Summary only En
AGROVOC Term:	ACACIA MANGIUM
AGROVOC Term:	FOREST PLANTATIONS
AGROVOC Term:	USES
AGROVOC Term:	CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
AGROVOC Term:	FOREST PRODUCTS
AGROVOC Term:	WOOD
AGROVOC Term:	WOOD PRODUCTS
AGROVOC Term:	ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
AGROVOC Term:	MALAYSIA
Geographical Term:	MALAYSIA
Depositing User:	Ms. Norfaezah Khomsan
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 05:27
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/16522

Actions (login required)

View Item