• Preface; Contents; About the Author; 1 Introduction; References; 2 Anatomy and Physical Properties of Tropical Woods; 2.1 Anatomical and Gross Features of Hardwoods; 2.2 Physical Properties of Hardwoods; 2.2.1 Density; 2.2.2 Specific Gravity; 2.2.3 Moisture Content; 2.2.4 Nail-Holding Ability; 2.2.5 Ease of Working; 2.2.6 Paint-Holding Ability; 2.2.7 Odour; 2.2.8 Colour; 2.2.9 Texture; 2.2.10 Figure; 2.2.11 Luster; 2.3 Concluding Remarks; References; 3 Mechanical Properties of Wood; 3.1 Strength of Wood; 3.2 Strength Properties of Wood Typically Considered in Structural Design.
• 3.3 Deformation of Wood Under Stress3.4 Modulus of Elasticity ; 3.5 Modulus of Rupture; 3.6 Modulus of Rigidity; 3.7 Poisson's Ratio; 3.8 Creep and Relaxation; 3.9 Hardness; 3.10 Fatigue; 3.11 Toughness; References; 4 Hardwood Timber Seasoning and Preservation; 4.1 Wood Moisture Content and Seasoning; 4.2 Reasons for Human Intervention Timber Drying; 4.3 Basic Principles of Drying; 4.4 Seasoning Methods; 4.4.1 Air Seasoning; 4.4.1.1 Advantages of Air Seasoning; 4.4.1.2 Disadvantages of Air Seasoning; 4.4.2 Artificial Seasoning (Kiln-Drying); 4.4.3 Milling and Seasoning Defects.
• 4.5 Hardwood Timber PreservationReferences; 5 Uses of Wood and Wood Products in Construction; 5.1 Emergence of Different Wood Products as Structural Materials; 5.2 Unprocessed and Semi-processed Solid Wood; 5.3 Sawn Wood; 5.4 Laminated Solid Wood Products; 5.5 Wood-Based Panel Products; 5.6 Engineered Wood Products; 5.7 A Glimpse into the Future; References; 6 A Review of the Basic Theory of Structures; 6.1 Forces in Structures; 6.2 Basic Elements of a Framed Structure; 6.3 Types of Joints in a Framed Structure; 6.4 Types of Support in a Framed Structure; 6.5 Equations of Equilibrium.
• 6.6 Basic Properties of Sections6.6.1 Moments of Area; 6.6.2 Centroid of an Area; 6.6.3 Moments of Inertia of Various Sections; 6.6.4 Section Modulus; 6.6.5 Radius of Gyration; References; 7 Structural Load Computations; 7.1 Types of Loads; 7.1.1 Dead Loads ; 7.1.2 Live Loads; 7.1.3 Snow Loads; 7.1.4 Lateral Forces; 7.2 Controlling Loads for Design; 7.3 The Concept of Tributary Loading; 7.4 Structural Design Codes; References; 8 Design of Wooden Beams; 8.1 Stresses in Beams; 8.2 Bending Equation; 8.3 General Design Information for Designing Wooden Beams; 8.4 Actual Wooden Beam Design.
• 8.4.1 Bending Stress Criterion8.4.2 Shear Stress Criterion; 8.4.3 Deflection Criterion; 8.4.4 Typical Cases of Wooden Beam Design; 8.4.5 Design of Bearing Supports; 8.4.6 Check for Lateral Stability; 8.4.7 Design for Combined Bending and Axial Loading; 8.4.8 A Summary of the Procedures for Designing a Wooden Beam; 8.5 Special Wooden Beams; 8.5.1 Box Beams; 8.5.2 Composite Beams; 8.5.3 Lumber Decks; 8.5.4 Stressed-Skin Panels; References; 9 Design of Solid Wood Columns; 9.1 General Classification of Columns; 9.2 End Conditions in Columns; 9.3 The Euler Column Buckling Equation.

This book provides essential information on the design of structures with tropical woods. It is intended primarily for teaching university- and college-level courses in structural design. It is also suitable as reference material for practitioners. Although parts of the background material relate specifically to West and East Africa, the design principles apply to the whole of tropical Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. The book is laced with ample illustrations including photographs of real-life wood structures and structural elements across Africa that make for interesting reading. It has numerous manual, and Excel spreadsheet worked examples and review questions that can properly guide a first-time designer of wooden structural elements. A number of design problems are also solved using the FORTRAN programming language. Topics covered in the thirteen chapters of the book include a brief introduction to the book, the anatomy and physical properties of tropical woods; a brief review of the mechanical properties of wood, timber seasoning, and preservation, uses of wood and wood products in construction; basic theory of structures, and structural load computations; design of wooden beams, solid and built-up wooden columns, wood connections and wooden trusses; as well as a brief introduction to the design of wooden bridges.