Design ASH MASSLAM Glulam to AS 1720.1

ASH MASSLAM glulam is integrated in SPEC Toolbox for design to AS 1720.1. Four grades are live in the platform database: MASSLAM SL33 and SL35 on widths of 65 to 140 mm, and MASSLAM 38 and MASSLAM 45 on widths of 120 to 450 mm, with depths from 120 mm to 1250 mm. Laminations are Plantation Oak and Australian Oak from the Heyfield factory in Victoria. The member design modules read the integrated section and grade set directly.

Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH) makes the MASSLAM range at Heyfield in Victoria, has produced glue laminated timber since 1996, and now runs more than 100 cubic metres a day. ASH processes its own Plantation Oak, Australian Oak and Glacial Oak feedstock across two Heyfield sites, from log to finished component.

Four grades are integrated: MASSLAM SL33, MASSLAM SL35, MASSLAM 38 and MASSLAM 45. SL33, SL35 and MASSLAM 38 are Plantation Oak, MASSLAM 45 is Australian Oak. The database records an approximate grade equivalence for each: SL33 near GL13, SL35 and MASSLAM 38 near GL15, MASSLAM 45 near GL17.

The integrated cross sections fall into two families tied to grade. SL33 and SL35 carry four widths, 65, 90, 112 and 140 mm, against 27 depths from 120 mm to 1230 mm, giving 108 combinations. MASSLAM 38 and MASSLAM 45 carry nine widths from 120 mm to 450 mm against 37 depths from 200 mm to 1250 mm, giving 333. Within each family any depth can be used with any width.

Sections up to 1250 by 450 mm are produced and machined without block lamination. Wider members are block laminated to a maximum of 1200 by 900 mm. Laminations are bonded with a polyurethane adhesive rated for high temperature and external exposure.

Surfaces follow the MASSLAM 38 and MASSLAM 45 appearance schedules, machine finished to 60 grit with tolerance to AS 2796. MASSLAM 38 feedstock is quarter sawn for stability and MASSLAM 45 is back sawn, and appearance applies to visual surfaces only. Chain of custody is PEFC, sustainability is certified by Responsible Wood, an EPD is available, and shop drawings are supplied.

Beams and columns. The wider MASSLAM range also covers Advanced Timber Composite floors, parallel laminated timber and stairs. Members come in visual or non-visual appearance grades, with robotic CNC machining and angled cuts.

• The range is hardwood glulam, and the species follows the grade: Plantation Oak in SL33, SL35 and MASSLAM 38, Australian Oak in MASSLAM 45.
• The widest and deepest integrated section, 450 by 1250 mm, is still a single laminated member machined in one pass, on a line that takes sections up to 1300 by 610 mm to within 1 mm. Block lamination is only reached above that size.
• Grade and geometry are linked in the database. SL33 and SL35 sit on the 65 to 140 mm width set and MASSLAM 38 and MASSLAM 45 on the 120 to 450 mm set, so changing grade pair changes the widths available.
• Charring rates are declared per grade from testing under load to AS 1530.4 by Warringtonfire: 0.7 mm/min for SL33 and SL35, 0.68 for MASSLAM 38 and 0.59 for MASSLAM 45, tested to 120 minutes.

ASH MASSLAM glulam appears in the member design modules: Timber beam, Timber column, Member design and Beam penetration. It also appears in the screw connection module and in the CLT floor to glulam beam connection.

Member behaviour is taken from the integrated database for ASH, with the grade and section set exactly as exported. The same database values are used for design to the Australian and New Zealand standards. Fire design, vibration and other verifications not covered by the design standard itself can be checked against other relevant documentation.

Design follows AS 1720.1, the Australian timber structures design standard, held in the reference library as AS 1720.1-2010. The MASSLAM designations are ASH proprietary grades, and the database records the approximate GL equivalence of each. No European Technical Assessment applies and the members are not CE marked to EN 14080. Fire is assessed by the residual section approach of AS 1720.4.