Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in

Bridges
The advantages and disadvantages of Cross Laminated Timber
application in Bridges

AR0531 Innovation & Sustainability

AR1B025-D3 BT Research Methodology

Margarita Kyanidou
Faculty of Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences / Building
Technology
4743911
M.Kyanidou@student.tudelft.nl

6 November 2017

Number of words: 2493

Focus and restrictions Specific focus: Studying the use of CLT applications In bridges.
Restricted to decking System.

Abstract This paper aims to investigate, the application of Cross Laminated Timber elements in Bridges.
Exploring the use of Cross Laminated Timber in bridges, regarding its properties and limits to determine the
advantages and the disadvantages of this solution to replace common construction methods in the industry.

Key words Structures, CLT, Cross Laminated Timber, Bridge, decks, slabs. AR0531

1
1 Introduction
The constant expansion of wood construction in
architecture coincides with the development of
new building materials and new building
systems. Since more than ten years, Cross-
Laminated Timber (CLT) a new generation of
engineered wood product, developed initially in
Europe, has experienced considerable
popularity with architects and civil engineers. By
crosswise gluing of individual board layers from
the straightened raw wood material is formed
used for load bearing walls, ceilings and roof
constructions in multi storey residential
building or in special constructions such as
bridges.(Mohammad, Gagnon, Douglas, &
Podesto, 2012)
The present paper will focus to the
application of Cross Laminated Timber in
bridges, aiming to answer the following
question:
Which are the advantages of Cross
Laminated Timber application in Bridges? in
comparison with the dominant construction
system?
Sub-questions are formulated in order to
answer the main question :
-Which is the definition of Cross
Laminated Timber and what about its
manufacturing process?
-How Cross Laminated timber is applied
in bridge construction.
-What are the advantages of Cross
Laminated timber decking system in bridges, in
general and in comparison with the dominant
structure system?
The paper begins with a brief
introduction to cross-laminated timber and its
manufacturing process. Thereafter, the
application o CLT in bridge construction is
declared and some advantages are presented in
chapter 4. Afterwards the advantages and
disadvantages of CLT application in bridges are
analysed in chapter 5. The 6 chapter consist the
advantages of CLT decking system in
comparison with steel- concrete composite slab.
Finally, the paper ends with Discussion of the
results, the conclusion and the reflection of the
research in 7,8 and 9 chapters repsectively.
2 Methodology
The latest years an adequate number of books,
articles and research papers concerning Cross
Laminated Timber in general and its application
in Bridges, have been compiled and published. A
variety of them, have been reviewed to ensure an
equitable result for this paper. The sources are
organised due to their correlation with the
research question and sub-questions.
The used keywords during the literature
research where:
Cross Laminated Timber,Cross Laminated
Timber advantages,Cross Laminated Timber
and Bridges ,Cross Laminated Timber in
Bridges, Cross Laminated Timber and CO2
footprint.
The paper Introduction to Cross
Laminated Timber carried out from M.
Mohammad, Sylvain Gagnon, Eng., Bradford K.
Douglas and P.E., Lisa Podesto, the book Massive
Timber Construction Systems. (2014).
WoodSolutions provide basic information on
the various attributes of CLT as a product and as
structural system in general.
The articles Heavy-duty bridge, with a 68
m span in northern Canada by Mathias
Oberholzer and Design and construction of a
160-Metre-Long Wood Bridge in Mistissini,
Qubec by Denis Lefebvre and Grgoire
Richard, provide detailed information about the
construction method of the timber Bridge in
Maicasagi constructed by Nordic Wood
Structures and for the Wood Bridge in Mistissini,
Qubec, constructed by Stantec Structures
respectively. Also both articles present the
advantages of CLT application as decking system
and justify this choice.
The paper Design of timber structures
by Pousette, Anna ,the books Timber bridges
by Mettem, and Building with cross laminated
timber- Load-bearing solid wood components for
walls, ceilings and roofs present detailed
information about timber bridges and timber
constructions in general.
The papers A New Bridge Proposal
Road Bridge with a Cross-Laminated Timber
Slab by Hannes Behrens and Per Benner and the
Cross Laminated Timber-Civil 510 - Term
Project by Arshia Mandegarian and Svetoslav
Milev provide information about CLT slab
applicated as a decking system in bridges.
2
3 Cross Laminated Timber:
Definition and Manufacturing
Process
Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels consist of
several layers of structural lumber boards
stacked crosswise (typically at 90 degrees) and
glued together on their wide faces and,
sometimes, on the narrow faces as well. A cross-
section of a CLT element has at least three glued
layers of boards placed in orthogonally
alternating orientation to the neighbouring
layers to obtain specific structural capacities.
Cross Laminated Timber products are usually
fabricated with three to seven layers and even
more in some cases. Thickness of individual
lumber pieces may vary from 16 mm to 51 mm
and width may vary from about 60 mm to 240
mm (2.4 inch to 9.5 inch). In order to get the
desired length of boards, they are finger-jointed.
(Mandegarian & Svetoslav Milev,2011)
Figure 1: CLT panels consist of
several layers of structural lumber boards
stacked crosswise (typically at 90 degrees)
(Mandegarian & Svetoslav Milev,2011)
By adding pressure to the stacked layers,
often by using a hydraulic press device, they are
formed into one solid element. After that, precise
CNC machines are used to cut the part into its
final shape (Wood Solutions, 2014). Lumber is
visually-graded or machine stress-rated and is
kiln dried.
Additionally, cross-laminating provides
relatively high in-plane and out-of-plane
strength and stiffness properties in both
directions, giving panels a two-way action
capability similar to a reinforced concrete slab.
(Mohammad et al., 2012).
Because the product is relatively new,
there is not any standardized design approach in
Eurocode. In countries part of the European
Union, technical approvals for construction
products are issued by members of the
European Organisation for Technical
Assessment, EOTA. The definition of a European
Technical Assessment (ETA) is formulated in
the Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 9
March 2011.000:(Vegas, 2013)(Behrens &
Benner, 2015)
4 Cross Laminated Timber in
Bridges
Nowadays, the main structures of bridges are
commonly made of steel, concrete or timber, and
the decking system from composite steel-
concrete slab.(Lefebvre, Richard, 2014)
Although, the latest years the Cross Laminated
timber slabs are preferred as an alternative
method of decking system, in bridge
construction. The decking system of a bridge can
be defined as the surface which the traversing
traffic drives upon. This is the surface which is
used as a continuation of the driving surface on
either side of the bridge.
It is a fact that, strength analysis of CLT,
presents technical challenges in that the
properties of wood are very poor in the direction
perpendicular to grain, leading to issues in the
inter-lamina behaviour of CLT panels when
subjected to linearly varying strain conditions
such as bending. For this reason, other structural
solution than CLT is preferred for beams in
bridges. (Behrens & Benner, 2015) As a result, as
far as it concerns the Cross-Laminated Timber in
Bridges, most of the times it consists only the
decking system.
Some examples of bridges with CLT
decking system are the following.
Figure 2: Maicasagi Bridge River,of
Chibougamau, Quebec(Lefebvre, Richard, 2014)
3
 5 Advantages and disadvantages
of Cross Laminated Timber decking
system in Bridges
In a first stage, it is important to consider the
advantages of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as
a construction material in bridge construction.
One of the main advantages of Cross
Laminated Timber is that the cross-laminations
gives the wood panels a level of isotropy, in
Figure 3: Hundorp Bridge,north of Lillehammer, terms of being subjected to loads in several
Oslo. (Rune B & Nylkken, 2010) directions. Also it is light and has a high strength-
to-weight ratio. Furthermore, it contains very
few defects and flaws because of its process of
production. The flawed sections are cut out so a
continuous panel can be formed. Also, It is light
and has a high strength-to-weight ratio
(Lefebvre, Richard, 2014).
. Another one of the main advantages of
CLT as a structural material is that the cross
structure of CLT components guarantees
integral stability. Through the crosswise
arrangement of the board layers and the
blocking effect connected with this, humidity
changes in the panel layers only lead to minor
swelling and skrinkage. The cross laminated
Figure 5: Mistissini Bridge , Qubec timber construction members therefore remain,
(Oberholzer,2012) also with the usual humidity changes, very
accurately fitted and dimensionally
stable.(Behrens & Benner, 2015)
As far as it concerns the environmental
impact of Cross laminated timber, is
manufactured using softwood from sustainably
managed forests. Compared to other solid
construction methods the manufacture and
processing of cross laminated timber
components requires very little energy. It
contributes to sustainable carbon storage and
thus to the minimization of the greenhouse
effect through the fusion of CO2.(Wiegand,
Seidel, Mestek, Werther, & Winter, 2011)
Moreover, at the end of its use cross
Figure 4: Street bridge in Kssen (Wiegand, laminated timber can be, materially or
Seidel, Mestek, Werther, & Winter, 2011) thermically, recycled. In the event of thermical
recycling of reinstated cross laminated timber
elements, only the CO2 which was stored during
the growth period of the timber is discharged
into the atmosphere. (Behrens & Benner, 2015)
However, there are some disadvantages
related to CLT elements. First of all,timber is
susceptible to damages caused by moisture and
endanger its durability. Hence, extra measures

4
have to be taken in the details of the bridge in
order to minimize water infiltration.
Traditionally moisture protection of timber has
been made with either biological treatment,
preservative treatment or structural weather
protection (Mettem, 2011).For instance, the slab
could be protected with a waterproof
membrane. Furthermore, the driving surface
should be paved on a welded insulation mat
above the waterproof membrane (Mettem,
2011).Using a bituminous coating it is possible
to reduce to a maximum the possibility of water
penetration and stagnation in the wood.
(Lefebvre, Richard,, 2014)
Furthermore, there are some difficulties
in applying design code calculations for CLT,
since the interaction between individual wood
lamina in a CLT panel is relatively complex and
would require extensive testing and analysis
before simplified code equations become
available. (Arshia Mandegarian and Svetoslav
Milev)
6 Advandages of Cross Laminated
Timber decking system in bridges, in
comparison with steel-concrete
composite slab.
In a second stage it would be efficient to name
the advantages of CLT as decking system in
comparison with the prevalent decking system
in bridges, which is steel-concrete slab.
The main reason that a cross-laminated
timber slab is used for a bridge decking system
instead for the dominant steel concrete
solution is the possibility to utilize large pre-
fabricated elements to facilitate a fast erection.
Short construction time could be a key issue
where site conditions are difficult, e.g. when
launching a bridge over a stream or working at
large heights etc. Since a local resource is used
and prefabrication is applied, bridges can be
designed, manufactured, and erected in a matter
of weeks. As a result, also the construction cost
is reducing. (Oberholzer,2012)
During the service life of the bridge, the
concrete slab stabilizes the steel girders against
instability phenomena such as lateral torsional
buckling and local buckling of the upper angle.
However, the stabilizing properties of the
concrete deck develop as the concrete hardens.
Thus, steel girders are vulnerable to buckling
during the casting and hardening processes. The
risk for instability failure during the
construction phase can be decisive for the
structural design of the steel girders, and it can
be required to use temporary bracing.
Furthermore, the falsework and casting
procedure is both labour intensive and time
consuming which could lead to considerable
costs. Furthermore, it can be shown that a
considerable portion of the moment capacity of
a steel-concrete composite cross-section is
consumed by the moment that is caused by the
large self-weight of the concrete. Since the
weight of wood is only a fifth of that of concrete,
it is believed that a non-composite bridge with a
CLT deck would not require much larger main
girders than a steel-concrete composite bridge.
A lighter bridge deck would not subject the
girders to such high loads. Thus, the risk of local
buckling of the compressed angle during
construction is decreased. (Lefebvre, Richard,,
2014)
Another advantage of a light bridge deck
is that the load on the foundation is reduced.
Therefore, smaller and cheaper abutments
should be required. Also, since the falsework and
casting process is eliminated a shorter overall
construction time of the bridge is facilitated.
Finally, compared to concrete, a timber structure
puts less load on the transport of the structural
elements. (Lefebvre, Richard,2014)
It is interesting to compare the carbon
footprint of the cross laminated wood deck
structure and a structure with a mixed
steel/concrete deck. Stantec Construction
conducted a research comparing two reference
bridges of each category. (Lefebvre,
Richard,2014)
5

Table 1: CO2 equivalent emission for wood
decking bridge
Table 2 : CO2 equivalent emission for
steel-concrete decking bridge
Overall, the total carbon emissions for
the wood bridge were negative, which is a very
good result. The total difference between the
two solutions is 1,472 tons of CO2, equivalent
emissions, which is equal to the CO2 emitted in
combustion 640,000 litres of gas.
7 Discussion
Looking at the advantages that CLT offers in
bridge deck construction, its environmental
impact and its comparison with the major deck
construction, it is obvious that the application of
CLT slab as a bridge decking system is positively
prevail.
Notwithstanding, some challenges are
still present in terms of code acceptance. There
is a need to continue and support research and
development activities in order to adopt a codes
and standards road map to ensure a wide
acceptance of the CLT product and systems.
8 Conclusions
CLT is a high-quality wood product and has great
potential applicated in bridges due to its
strength and mechanical properties and its
environmental impact. The superior attributes
of the CLT panels and assemblies such ease of
fabrication, faster erection quick assembly, and
its positive environmental impact, could address
CLT decking system as a preferred choice by
designers and clients in this type of construction,
as it also results from the comparison with the
major decking system (steel-concrete slab).
Also, it seems that the true benefit of CLT
as a sustainable building product is easily
realized when it replaces steel and concrete in
construction. Its a potentially powerful way to
monetize the ability to restore our forests and
remove some of the fuel load .
Although there are disadvantages of CLT
in bridges that they cannot be disregard. The
sensitivity of CLT against moisture requires that
the design process should consider multiple
lines of defense to prevent potential moisture
entrapment.Moreover the lack of an applying
general design code, requires further research
on design code concerning CLT constructions in
order to be specified the difficulties on
calculations for its elements, A research must be
done on the Bending Strength, Shear Strength
and Rolling Shear Strength of the material
depending on the number of panels. These
values would be required in order to perform the
various checks necessary to determine the
capacity of a CLT cross-section.
9 Reflection
This paper is based on the general review of the
advantages of the CLT decking system in bridge
construction. A more accurate research by
taking more construction and mechanical
variables under consideration should be done.
By comparing in detail several different
bridge examples and each step of their
construction by using exact measurement
results and taking under consideration different
climate conditions and also manufacturing
location,could lead to a more accurate, certain
and deductive conclusion.
6
References
Avdelningen fr Konstruktionsteknik .H.
Behrens , P. Benner (2015). Lunds Tekniska
Hgskola Lunds Universitet,

Building with cross laminated timber - Load-

bearing solid wood components for walls,
ceilings and roofs (2011). T.Wiegand,P. Seidel, N.
Mestek,S.Werther,N.Winter.Studiengemeinschaf
t Holzleimbau e.V

CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER- Civil Term Project.

(2015) A. Mandegarian , S.Milev . University of
British Columbia

Design of timber structures. (2011). Pousette,

Anna. Swedish Forest Industries Federation,
ISBN 9789163700552.

HUNDORP BRIDGE-Bridge deck rehabilitation

using cross-laminated timber. (2010).
R.B Abrahamsen, T.E. Nylkken

Introduction to Cross Laminated Timber.

(2012). M. Mohammad, S. Gagnon, K. Bradford
K. Douglas, P.E. Lisa Podesto .

Massive Timber Construction Systems. (2014).

WoodSolutions.

Mettem, Christopher J (2011). Timber bridges.

Spon Press.95 ISBN-10: 0415577969

7
8
9