MS 544: PART 12: 2006: CODE OF PRACTICE FOR

STRUCTURAL USE OF TIMBER LAMINATED

VENEER LUMBER (LVL) FOR STRUCTURAL
APPLICATION
ASSOC PROF. DR. HNG PAIK SAN
MEMBER OF TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON TIMBER
STRUCTURE
Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Product, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

PRESENTATION OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION TO LAMINATED VENEER
LUMBER
DEVELOPMENT OF MS 544 PART 12
CONTENT OF STANDARD
DESIGN METHOD
DESIGN EXAMPLE

LAMINATED VENEER LUMBER (LVL)

Laminated veneer
lumber (LVL) is an
engineered wood
product that uses
multiple layers of
veneer assembled with
adhesives.

LVL PROCESS
LVL consists of thin sheets of wood veneer
bonded with adhesive and oriented with
the grain parallel in the long direction.

Glue
spreading
Veneer oriented
in single
direction

LVL

Loading Direction
Loading direction
Loading
direction
Loading direction

a) Edgewise

b) Endwise

c) Flatwise

DEVELOPMENT OF MS 544 PART 12

Working Group established in 1999.

First meeting in October 1999.
Last meeting 1st of August 2002.
Total 33 meetings being held to develop this
standard.
Standard published in 2006.

i. Committee of Working Group

Prof. Madya Dr. Mohd. Zamin Jumaat

(chairman)
Dr. Paridah Md. Tahir
Late Dr. Tan Yu Eng
Pn. Hanishahani Othman
En. Hng Paik San (secretary)
Dr. Razali A. Kader
Dr. Wong Ee Ding
Prof. Madya. Zakiah Ahmad
En. Ahmad Fahmi Abdul Ghaffur
En. Haris Alpiah
En. Simon Lee
En. Suhaimi Abu Bakar

UM

zamin@fk.um.edu.my

UPM
FRIM
CIDB
UPM
Golden Hope
UPM
UiTM
JPN
CA
GORISE
UTM

ftahir@forr.upm.edu.my
tanye@frim.gov.my
hani@cidb.gov.my
pshng@hotmail.com
razali@goldenhope.com
edingw@hotmail.com
zakiah@civil.engr.itm.edu.my
fahmi@kpkt.gov.my
haris@casco-adhesives.com
info@gorise.com
suhaimi@fka.utm.my

ii. Review of Established Standard

Design standard based on AS/NZS 4357:1995: Structural laminated
veneer lumber
AS 4063:1992- TimberStress-gradedIn-grade strength and
stiffness evaluation
AS 1720.1-Timber structures - Design methods
MS 544 : Part 2 : 2001: Permissible stress design for solid timber
MS 544 : Part 5 : 2001: Timber joints
BS 6399 : Part 1 : 1984: Loading for buildings: Part 1 : Code of
practice for dead and imposed loads
BS 6399 : Part 2 : 1997: Loading for buildings: Part 2 : Code of
practice for wind loads
MS 544 : Part 2 : 2001: Permissible stress design for solid timber

iii. Testing of LVL samples

Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) were produced
from five tropical hardwood species, i.e., Yellow
Meranti (Shorea spp), Kedondong (Canarium
spp.), Bintangor (Calophyllum spp.) White
Meranti (Shorea spp.) and Keruing (Dipterocarpus
spp.)
The process spec as below;
Resin : Phenol formaldehyde (PF)
Board thickness : 50 mm
Target Moisture content (MC) : 12%

Experimental Design
50-mm thick LVL
Yellow Meranti
3.2 mm

4.0 mm

Kedondong
3.2 mm

4.0 mm

Bintangor
3.2 mm

4.0 mm

White Meranti
3.2 mm

4.0 mm

Keruing
3.2 mm

4.0 mm

Logs peeled into 3.2 mm and 4.0 mm thick veneer thickness.

Veneer layers : 17-ply of 3.2 mm; 13-ply of 4.0 mm to produce 50-mm thick
LVL.

Test Design
Tests that were performed;
Static Bending
Flatwise and edgewise

Bending Shear
Flatwise and Edgewise

Tensile parallel to the longitudinal of LVL member

Compression parallel to the longitudinal of LVL member

All test were performed according to Standard

AS/NZS 4357 : Structural Laminated Veneer
Lumber

Loading Directions
Load

Edgewise

Load

Flatwise

Test Samples
Tests

Loading
Directions

Number of
specimen

Flatwise
Edgewise

Size (mm)
thickness x width
x length
50 x 90 x 900
90 x 50 x 1620

Static
Bending
Bending
Shear

Flatwise
Edgewise

50 x 40 x 300
40 x 50 x 240

30
30

Tensile

50 x 50 x 1500

15

Compression

50 x 50 x 1500

15

30
30

Test Setup

Static bending test setup

Third point loading (4
point bending)

Test Setup

Bending shear test

setup

Center point loading

Test Setup
Tensile parallel to the
longitudinal member of
LVL test

Test Setup
Compression parallel to the
longitudinal member of LVL
test

Lateral restraint

Basic working stresses and stiffness for

LVL

Data obtained were analysed into design value according to Basic Working Stress in Bending
In-grade
Species
Bending1
(MOR)

Basic working stress, N/mm2

Tension
Shear parallel to
Compression
parallel
longitudinal axis1
parallel to
to longitudinal
longitudinal axis
axis

Modulus of
elasticity
(MOE) 1
Mean

Minimum

Yellow Meranti

10.2

6.9

0.52

18.0

12000

9204

Kedondong

10.6

7.7

0.61

18.7

12500

9588

Bintangor

14.6

9.0

0.94

20.0

14000

10738

White Meranti

13.4

8.3

1.03

21.2

18550

14228

Keruing

9.6

6.9

0.63

14.0

16900

12962

CONTENT OF MS 544 PART 12:

1. Scope
2. Referenced documents
3. Definitions
4. Applications
5. Durability
6. Structural properties
7. Connections
8. Permissible stresses

A. Scope
This Standard applies to Laminated Veneer Lumber
(LVL) products engineered for use in structural
applications in which the primary loading is in either
the edgewise or endwise direction such as rafters,
headers, beams, joists, studs and columns. Secondary
gluing shall be permitted for edgewise bending
application.

Use of scaffold planks or secondary end-jointing is

beyond the scope of this Standard.

B. Application

Load-bearing wall framing

Floor beams and

joists

Rafters

Lintels

3. Installation

C. Connections
Connectors that may work well in
solid timber members should be
used with caution in LVL as the
veneer lathe checks that are
formed during peeling can reduce
its fracture toughness properties.
Since LVL is made up of many
layers of veneers, the connectors
should be installed perpendicular
to gluelines (Figure a) and should
is not recommended to be
installed parallel to the gluelines
(Figure b) such that delamination
due to stress concentration
between laminates does not occur.

a.

b.

D. Durability
Durability refers to the durability of the wood used and the
integrity of the glueline.
The structural LVL should be manufactured by using a WBP
type adhesive, which complies to MS 908. It shall conform
to the requirements of Service class III (an external, fully
exposed condition including marine environment).
LVL is required to maintain its strength and bonding
performance up to an equilibrium moisture content (EMC)
of 20%.
When treatment with preservative is specified, it shall be
carried out in accordance with MS 544 Part 10.

E. Structural Properties
The strength and stiffness of LVL shall be
manufactured and evaluated using the
methods specified in Malaysian Standard MS
2209: 2009: Structural Laminated Veneer
Lumber: Performance Requirements and
Minimum Manufacturing Requirements

The steps involve in the processing the data obtained from a series of
mechanical testing in deriving the basic working stress.
Step

Definition

Formulation

Production of raw data

Modulus of rupture (MOR), shear,

tension and compression values

Modification the raw

data to 5th percentile
values.
(R 0.05)

Note:

Establish
Characteristic Test
Values (Rk)
Establish Basic
Working Stress Values
(Rbasic)

or
Using Cumulative Distribution
Function

Rk = [1- (2.7VR/ n)] R 0.05

Rbasic = Rk /[1.75*(1.3 + 0.7 VR)]

= means values
= Standard deviation
VR
= Derived coefficient of the variation
1.75
= Load Duration Factor
1.3 + 0.7 VR = Safety factor

F. Design Values
Grade stress for various strength groups of structural LVL
(Stresses and elastic moduli expressed in N/mm2)
Strength
Group

Bending
(MOR)

Tension parallel
to longitudinal axis

Shear parallel
to longitudinal
axis

Compression

Modulus of
elasticity
(MOE)

Parallel to
longitudinal axis

Perpendicular to
longitudinal axis

Mean

Minimum

SG1

26.5

15.9

2.28

22.5

3.74

18800

14000

SG2

18.3

11.0

1.95

18.5

3.05

16800

12600

SG3

15.9

9.5

1.61

14.1

2.09

14300

10300

SG4

13.2

7.9

1.23

11.1

1.65

11000

7600

SG5

9.5

5.7

1.07

8.5

1.14

9100

6300

SG6

8.9

5.3

0.86

6.9

1.02

7300

5200

SG7

6.5

3.9

0.76

5.4

0.62

6600

3400

NOTE: The grade stress is adopted from dry standard grade in Table 4, MS 544 Part 2.

G. Connections
The joint grouping is adopted from MS 544
Part 5 on the basis of testing a single nail size
and a single bolt size.
Strength
Group

SG1

SG2/SG3

SG4

SG5

SG6/SG7

Joint
Group

J1

J2

J3

J4

J5

NOTE: The joint group for nails and bolts specified in this Clause should not be used for other fastener types.

Where joints comprise more than one strength group, the

design load to be used in the absence of other information is
that appropriate to the weakest strength group in the joint.

H. Permissible Stresses
Permissible stresses in LVL are governed by the
particular conditions of service and loading.
The modification factors for LVL were adopted
from the MS 544 Part 2: Permissible stress design
for solid timber.

DESIGN METHOD
LVL can be used wherever sawn timber is used, especially in
structural application.
The properties of LVL show much less variation than sawn
timber. The maximum effect of a single defect in an LVL
laminate is very small as the laminates are so thin compared
with the thickness of the whole member.

 In Malaysia, currently the timber design is based

on the permissible stress theory.
In the permissible stress design or allowable
stress design, also referred to as elastic design,
the stresses developed in a structure due to
service or working loads are not allowed to
exceed the elastic limit, i.e, the stress levels are
limited to the elastic limit.
This limit is usually determined by ensuring that
stresses remain within the limits through the use
of factors of safety.

DESIGN EXAMPLES

The design example can be

found in this book

THANK YOU