ASD/LRFD Manual - American Wood Council
ASD/LRFD Manual - American Wood Council
ASD/LRFD Manual - American Wood Council
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36 M6: ROUND TIMBER POLES AND PILES<br />
M6.4 Special Design Considerations<br />
With proper detailing and protection, timber poles and<br />
piles can perform well in a variety of environments. One<br />
key to proper detailing is planning for the natural shrinkage<br />
and swelling of wood products as they are subjected<br />
to various drying and wetting cycles. While moisture<br />
changes have the largest impact on product dimensions,<br />
some designs must also check the effects of temperature.<br />
See M4.4 for design information on dimensional changes<br />
due to moisture and temperature.<br />
Durability issues related to piles are generally both<br />
more critical and more easily accommodated. Since piles<br />
are in constant ground contact, they cannot be “insulated”<br />
from contact with moisture – thus, the standard reference<br />
condition for piles is preservatively treated. The importance<br />
of proper treatment processing of piles cannot be<br />
overemphasized. See M4.4 for more information about<br />
durability.<br />
In addition to designing to accommodate dimensional<br />
changes and detailing for durability, another significant<br />
issue in the planning of wood structures is that of fire<br />
performance, which is discussed in Chapter M16.<br />
<strong>American</strong> <strong>Wood</strong> <strong>Council</strong>