Pristupačnost
The use of wood as building material is one of the fundamental strategies of sustainable development. In addition to long-term storage of absorbed carbon dioxide, timber structures have an advantage of fast and simple prefabricated construction, reuse and complete recycling. Today, laminated timber elements are based on gluing and use of metal fasteners. Adhesives, as well as metal, limit the durability and fire resistance, make it impossible to completely disassemble and recycle the structure, and leave a strong carbon footprint.
Development of wood technology resulted in new, fully sustainable techniques for laminating boards. In contrast to standardized methods, the use of dowels made of densified wood, as well as hardwood welded dowels, enables the production of high-quality elements without using adhesives or metal fasteners. In wood densification, the base material achieves better properties by applying a temporary increase in pressure, which permanently densifies the void between the cellulars. In welded wooden dowels, high frequency rubbing of the two surfaces causes friction and heat that soften and then bond the lignin, mechanically joining the cellular material.
These techniques have the potential to be applied not only to linear laminated girders or columns, but also to cross-laminated plate elements, which are crucial for construction of multi-storey buildings. Cooperation of domestic and international researchers through laboratory tests, numerical and life cycle analyses, the characteristics of timber elements laminated in completely ecological way would be investigated. The result would be precisely defined assembly principles, as well as mathematical expressions for design of this type of elements. The research would also lead to the development of entirely sustainable construction elements, which would further enhance production because of reasonable investment rates, which domestic enterprises can achieve to a significant degree.