HASSLACHER Structural finger jointed solid timber & GLT®

Individually tested – for ultimate safety

The HASSLACHER Group site in Preding has been producing structural finger jointed solid timber since 1998. The product is easy to explain: Technically dried sawn timber is graded by strength and
joined by means of finger jointing. After that the product is planed and chamfered, packed and equipped with a CE mark according to EN 15497. Our range of cross-sections is vast, including width of 50 to 160 mm and heights from 60 to 300 mm. Lengths of 2.5 m to 18 m are available, the standard length being 13 m. The special feature of HASSLACHER structural finger jointed solid timber is the machine grading process, which uses physical parameters, X-rays, cameras and laser technology to detect and eliminate strength-reducing growth characteristics, as well as the tensile test load procedure, which is applied to every bar produced.

“Individually tested – for ultimate safety!“

Together with the Graz University of Technology and the holz.bau forschungs gmbh competence centre, a so-called "proof loading procedure" was developed to ensure seamless quality assurance, especially for the finger-jointing. In this process, each finger-jointed bar is subjected to a patented tensile test load procedure. Zones with low strength, for example inadequately manufactured finger-joints, strength-reducing growth characteristics in the wood or other faults are detected via breakage.
Only after this tensile test has been passed is the profile planed, provided with joinery work or surface finishes as per customer request, and finally packaged. Beams up to 18 m long can thus be reliably and completely checked for strength before delivery to the construction site.

Tensile test load process acc. to ETA-13/0644

1. Entry
2. Centring
3. Clamping
4. Tensile load
5. Exit

GLT® – Girder Longitudinally Tensiletested = tensile test loaded structural finger jointed solid timber

After about 10 years of intensive research and development work as well as practical testing of the procedure, it was possible to obtain a European Technical Assessment ETA-13/0644, which also attests to the advantages in the design of GLT® – Girder Longitudinally Tensiletested. "By applying the tensile test load procedure according to the present approval and thus eliminating certain strength-reducing zones, the delivered material not only becomes safer, but it is also possible to reduce the partial safety factor on the material side. This means that GLT® can be designed like strength class GL24h glulam," notes Georg Jeitler, Head of Research & Development at the HASSLACHER Group, and reports further: "This allows reductions in the volumes used, thus conserving resources and lowering project costs.”

Benefits

• High load-carrying capacity at low density
• Dimensionally stable thanks to technical drying
• Positive impacts on climate protection through carbon storage
• Solid construction timber without glued joints
• Maximum finger joint safety thanks to tensile load test according to ETA-13/0644
• Transparent, bright PUR glue joint in finger joint

Grandstand and club building for Buch football club in St. Magdalena

After more than 40 years, the Styrian football club SV Buch/St. Magdalena decided to adapt its facilities and completely rebuilt its entire sports complex, relying on wood for both the grandstand and the club building. The walls are a so-called lightweight timber construction, for which structural finger jointed solid timber from HASSLACHER PREDING Holzindustrie GmbH was used for beams and uprights. The roof structure was perfectly matched to the production capabilities of NORITEC Holzindustrie GmbH of the HASSLACHER Group. The strongly projecting glued laminated timber beams form the roofing for the generous grandstand.

Data & facts

Location
Buch-St. Magdalena, Austria

Customer
Holz & Bau Hirschböck Hartberg

Architect
Planungsbüro Faist e.U.

Statics and construction
freiraum zt gmbh

Client
Community of Buch-St. Magdalena

Year of construction
2022

Products used
Glued laminated timber, structural finger jointed solid timber