Question:
Can I design laminated veneer lumber with RFEM/RSTAB?
Answer:
The LVL design is carried out with the add-on modules for timber design.
The following steps are necessary for the design:
Select a material of the LVL category (Image 01) - if the desired manufacturer is not available in the material library, you can create a user-defined material (see FAQ 002656). By selecting the material, you define the stress of the material. In the case of LVL, the load-bearing capacities for a plate stress (Image 02) are significantly different than for a wall stress (Image 03). When performing the design with the RF‑/TIMBER Pro add-on module, the wall stress is usually available. In the case of the plate stress, it is often reasonable to use the RF‑LAMINATE add-on module.
In the RF‑/TIMBER Pro design module, the "Factor Category" in Window 1.2 (Image 04) is used for LVL.
For the National Annex parameters, you can make adjustments for the LVL design in the two tabs "Other Settings", if necessary. For example, this may be the case of shear or the manufacturer's specifications for increasing strengths (Image 05 and Image 06 [BauBuche]).
The cross-section material LVL is usually not strong enough for stress in the plate plane. However, when designing a plate covering, you can use the RF‑LAMINATE add-on module. More information about RF‑LAMINATE can be found here.