Timber structures usually consist of members (e.g. beams or columns) with relatively high slenderness. The behaviour of structural members subjected to increasing axial compression is characterized by a non-linear increase of the deformation due to 2nd order effects which can lead to buckling failure. For the design, these effects have to be taken into account. Nowadays, there are different approaches for the design of timber members subjected to compression. These different approaches are not consistent and can lead to significantly different results.

Within the framework of this research project, analytical models are developed to describe the structural behaviour of timber members subjected to compression. Experimental and numerical simulations are performed, to investigate the influence of the variability of the material properties.

The project aims at the development of fundamental knowledge and advanced calculation models for the design of glued laminated timber members subjected to axial compression or combined compression and bending based on 2nd order analysis.