Design and Construction of Wooden Structure to Replace Collapsed Steel Structure

Abstract

This paper describes the challenges and solutions for the design and implementation of a timber structure to replace a collapsed steel structure. Wood was chosen as the structure material because it is suited for environments with high salinity and, in this context, for reducing maintenance costs. One of the most important challenges of this project was that the beam should have a long span and the wood should be able to attain the ultimate limit state and serviceability given the dimensions in the project. The entire roof was supported only by four columns, which forced the side and frontal beams to exceed span lengths of 18 m without intermediate supports. A mathematical computational model was constructed using the FEM to obtain the loads on the structural elements. During the implementation process, many parts were implemented differently from the original design, which needed to be reinforced. It is important to emphasize that the design of a wooden structure requires not only knowledge but also creativity to overcome the challenges posed by the distinctive needs of detailing and difficulty that carpenters have in reading the specific plans.