As construction materials that once were plentiful become more difficult to obtain, creative methods for producing alternative materials provide options for contractors and builders. Many building materials that are manufactured today have greater strength and usability than natural wood products, and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) is an example of one of those types of building materials. The
. Georgia-Pacific site at http://www.gp.com/build/product.aspx?pid=1392 features engineered lumber products, one of which is Laminated Veneer Lumber. It has the capability of spanning long distances up to 60 feet when that is called for in construction designs, a very long distance for a beam this is not supported. It has many other applications on the construction job site. Because it is a manufactured product that benefits from technological developments, it has the capability to outperform conventional lumber. More than 50 times stronger than solid products that are sawn, LVL resists shrinking and splitting. It accepts nails as fasteners, and it is installed in the same way and as easily as ordinary boards that have traditionally been used in construction. Weyerhaeuser offers their approach to the use of LVL beams at http://www.woodbywy.com/roofs/r_MicrollamLVL_beams.aspx. The site points out that the beams may be built up at the job site as a way to eliminate the hassle of dealing with heavy beams. As with other similar products from other manufacturers, the site touts the resistance to warping and shrinkage. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst offers a site that features Building and Construction Technology on which loads and specifications for LVL and other building materials are examined. Sizing Engineered Beams and Headers is particularly relevant in the section that discusses how to calculate the load that a beam must bear. It includes some reasons for the additional strength that LVL can handle, due to its lack of knots and slope of the grain that diminish the load bearing capacity of traditional lumber. More Reference Links: http://www.gp.com/build/product.aspx?pid=1392 http://www.woodbywy.com/roofs/r_MicrollamLVL_beams.aspx
