Evaluation of lumber recycled from an industrial military building

Abstract

During the past century, millions of structures were built from sawn lumber and timber. When these structures reach the end of their service lives, contemporary practices emphasize landfill disposal. In recent years, the public has expressed a strong interest in developing environmentally acceptable and efficient reuse options for this solid-wood material. As a result of this interest, a test program was developed to evaluate the grades and engineering properties of nominal 2-by 10-inches (standard 38- by 236-mm) lumber collected from the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant and compare this material with the performance of lumber produced today. On-site grading of 500 lumber pieces indicated the effect of damage on grade yield. An analysis of test data indicated that the stiffness was similar to lumber produced today; however, bending strength was somewhat less. Mechanical grading yields and potential reuse options are also presented.

Citation

Falk, R. H.; Green, D. W.; Lantz, S. C. 1999. Evaluation of lumber recycled from an industrial military building. Forest products journal. Vol. 49, no. 5 (May 1999).:p. 49-55.