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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/3386| Title: | Factors affecting the economic life of timber in coastal structures |
| Authors: | Jachowski, Robert A. |
| Keywords: | Timber Coastal structures Timber deterioration Wood |
| Publisher: | United States. Beach Erosion Board. Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Technical memorandum (United States. Beach Erosion Board) ; no. 66. |
| Description: | Technical Memorandum Introduction: The durability of timber in coastal waters is influenced by several forms of attack. The three major forms of attack affecting the life of timber used in coastal construction are decay, insects and marine borers. From the viewpoint of the coastal engineer the marine borer is the most important of these forms. Many species of timber are used for marine construction, but of those grown in the United States, the most commonly used are Douglas fir, Southern pine and oak. Some type of treatment to these woods is necessary, however, to increase their resistance to decay and attack by insects and marine borers. Numerous methods for providing protective treatment have been utilized, some of which have proven unsatisfactory but others have led to methods employed today. A few tropical woods have shown outstanding resistance to attack by decay and marine borers. The most popular of these tropical woods is Greenheart, which grows only in British Guinea. Experiments have indicated that due to a higher structural strength, required dimensions of structural members fabricated from Greenheart may be less than those required if woods grown in temperate climates, such as Douglas fir, Southern pine and oak, are used. Other factors affecting the life of timber are construction practices, which include the care of the timber after a protective treatment has been applied. It becomes apparent that all factors must be considered in completely evaluating the effectiveness of the timber utilized in coastal structures. This study presents service records of timber used in various coastal structures, correlated with available information relative to the factors that might have affected the service record. |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/3386 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Memorandum |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEB-TM-66.pdf | 4.97 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |