High performing rails from CLT panel waste for advanced prefabricated volumetric timber structures

The project ran between June 2022 and December 2024.

The main goal of the project was to design, produce, test, and evaluate a new product for timber frames made from cut-offs from the manufacturing of cross-laminated timber panels, known as CLT-panels. Extensive experimental tests, conducted both in the lab and in the field, show that the novel CLT-based rail has exceptional performance. The CLT-rail is about four to six times stronger and considerably stiffer than a traditional timber rail. Additionally, it is more dimensionally stable and has a lower moisture content when produced that matches the end-use. Today, the cut offs from door and window openings in the CLT-panel, are mainly used as biofuel. In this project, we demonstrated that this by-product can instead be transformed into high strength rails that improves the performance and competitiveness of prefabricated timber houses. This application significantly increases the value of the by-product while also greatly reducing issues with high vertical deformations in tall timber buildings.