The Structural Design of Wooden Solid Log Wall

Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Building Structures, Veveří 95, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic

Corresponding author: kacalek.p@fce.vutbr.cz

Abstract

Alternative solutions to joints of outer wooden solid log walls are based on the current situation on the construction market, which reflects general change in attitude towards the environment. Apart from the evaluation of materials and products in accordance with technological and economic aspects, attention is paid to the effect of individual elements on the environment. This trend is reflected in construction practice by a comeback to original materials and expanding designs of residential buildings on the basis of easily renewable material resources, e.g. wood, which is relatively easily available and renewable construction material. When designing and constructing wooden buildings, it is necessary to take into account specific properties of wood (particularly volume changes), which need to be considered for solutions of individual details. Bed joints of wooden solid log walls are still a problematic detail in terms of thermal technology. It is a contact of two horizontal construction elements – beams, where maximum weakening of the wall thickness occurs. This spot is a relatively frequent place of a recurring thermal bridge during the wall construction. Analysis and improvement of this critical place of wooden houses, which has been more and more frequently built in the Czech Republic, would lead to their better evaluation in terms of heat-technical properties. The aim of the project was to design and examine adjusted variants of shape solutions of joints in between individual solid wooden elements. The project particularly focused on monitoring of surface temperatures in the areas of critical details – bed joints.