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Fereday, George and Meech, Nick (2020) The XR Beam - a trussed hardwood beam for value-added use of roundwood thinnings in the South-East of England. In: Timber 2020, Wood Technology Society, IOM3, 9-10 Sept 2020, United Kingdom.
This paper outlines early experiments made with a novel structural beam that may offer value-added uses for small diameter coppiced roundwood, a common material extracted from woodland management, in the south east of England. The intention of the research is to stimulate and expand new market potential for this under-utilized resource within the domestic construction industry. The beam is designed to be produced with as few manufacturing processes as possible to reduce cost and waste and to retain the natural strength of the timber as the tree has grown it. The beam is designed in keeping with existing production capability of wood-mills in the region and to make use of industrial offcuts of plywood as a ubiquitous engineered material for components. The XR beam is designed as a vehicle to encourage more wide-spread use of regional hardwood coppice that benefits the local rural economy, promotes woodland management, and offers sustainable local alternatives to the imported timber that dominates the UK construction sector.
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