Engenharia Civil - Madeira - Computational Mechanics in Timber Structure Design (10pag).pdf

Computational Mechanics in
Timber Structure Design
K. Bell
Department of Structural Engineering
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
e-mail: kolbein.******@
Summary This paper deals puter-aided timber structure design. It is an overview paper describ-
ing some of the projects and program developments the author has been involved with during the past 6-7
years. Some unresolved problems and challenges are also briefly discussed.
Introduction
Traditionally, most timber structures in the Nordic countries have been small and simple struc-
tures with little need for sophisticated engineering. Some specialized structures, such as roof
trusses, have for some time been subjected to highly puter based analysis and
design, often by software developed and controlled by the punched metal plate suppliers. Soft-
ware dedicated to the design of more general timber structures was scarce in Norway even as late
as the mid ies. However, the roof structures of the Olympic halls at Hamar and Lillehammer,
and the roof structure of the terminal building at the new Oslo airport (Gardermoen), increased the
general interest in timber structures and revealed a need for analysis and design tools. Hence, in
1994 we started a project at NTNU aimed at developing a general, and user-friendly, 2D frame
program with both analysis and timber desig