Using low quality timber for X-LAM: Raw material characterisation and structural performance of walls under semi-dynamic testing

X-Lam panels are normally produced in Europe with sawn timber of S10 strength grade according to German DIN standards. Those panels provide excellent structural performance; that is, they exhibit excellent stiffness and strength properties. In fact, for many structural conditions the performance exceeds demand and hence the panels can be considered to be oversized. Consequently the possibility of using low quality timber for X-Lam panels was envisaged. In this paper, some of the results of current experimental program at CNR IVALSA on X-Lam wall panels made of low quality timber are presented and discussed.