Jörg Wehsener

Advancements for the Structural Application of Fiber-Reinforced Moulded Wooden Tubes

Thermo-hygro-mechanical processes can be used to densify and to form wood. This is applied to produce wooden tubes of structural size by shaping of boards, which were densified previously transverse to the grain. Profiles with hollow cross sections, like tubes, have several advantages compared to those with compact cross sections. Due to the larger moments of inertia, a higher load-bearing capacity for bending and buckling with a given amount of material can be reached. Furthermore, the low thickness of the tube walls allows employing smallsized tree sections, which are currently used only energetically or for fibre production. Thus, production of these tubes might increase the added value of the forests. In this contribution, a brief overview over the load-bearing behaviour of circular moulded wooden tubes exposed to axial compression, bending and torsion is given. Moreover, one of the first practical applications of the tubes, the tower of a small-sized wind power plant is presented.