Timber structures
Fig. 6.53 Single-storey
timber skeleton-frame
structure in which the
principal elements are
plyweb built-up-beam
sections.
requiring very long elements of small cross-
section, and they allow some degree of prefab-
rication to be possible.
6.7.4 The skeleton frame
The fact that timber possesses tensile,
compressive and bending strength makes
possible the construction of skeleton frames in
the material (Fig. 6.53). A characteristic of this
type of structure, however, is that individual
elements are subjected to fairly large amounts
of internal force, due to the concentration of
the load into a small volume of structure, and
while this can be accommodated easily with
strong materials, such as steel or reinforced
concrete, it can be problematical with timber.
Where a skeleton frame is constructed in
timber the whole of the structure will normally
be rather bulky, especially if floor loads are
carried. The structure must normally, therefore,
be treated as one of the special architectural
features of the building which it supports.
The floor- and roof-deck systems which are
used are usually also of timber and of the one-
way-spanning type. The frames are therefore
best planned on a rectangular grid of beams 225
