What is ISO 19993 about?
ISO 19993 discusses face and edge joint cleavage tests for glued laminated timber in timber structures. ISO 19993 is an international standard that provides effective evaluation for glued laminated timber joints.
ISO 19993 specifies methods to evaluate the effectiveness of glued laminated timber face and edge bonds within a manufacturing plant by cleaving glue lines in both dry and wet conditions.
ISO 19993 is used as a factory quality assurance test to be used for structural glulam and applied to the face and edge joints of each production batch.
Methods specified under ISO 19993 are based on the principle that if the minimum wood failure percentages are met then bond strength exceeds the perpendicular to the grain tension strength stating that the bond is not the weak element that limits the integrity of a glulam assembly.
Note 1: ISO 19993 is not used for initial type testing where cyclic delamination or block shear is preferred.
Who is ISO 19993 for?
ISO 19993 on glued laminated timber is relevant to:
- Glued laminated timber manufacturers
- Civil engineers
Why should you use ISO 19993?
Glued-laminated timber is a structural wood product used for commercial and residential purposes. The effectiveness of inter-laminar face and edge bond in the production of structural glued laminated timber can be tested by applying various methods.
Dry specimens are tested under ambient conditions and wet specimens are tested under ambient conditions after a vacuum-pressure soak under various circumstances.
Methods under ISO 19993 provide guidance in assuring the application of cleavage test to glued laminated timber in timber structures.
Cleavage is achieved by cutting a saw kerf that straddles the bond line then using a chisel, usually a bricklayer’s bolster, that is placed in the saw kerf and is struck with a hammer to produce stresses perpendicular to the grain, in other words, to induce cleavage.
ISO 19993 assists in testing the effectiveness of glued laminated timber face and edge bonds in manufacturing plants and thus, improves the efficiency of the structures.
An efficient cleavage test can provide the correct evaluation of the effectiveness of the inter-laminar face and edge bond in structural glued laminated timber of each production batch.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO 19993:2020 supersedes the first edition ISO 19993:2007. BS ISO 19993:2020 has been technically revised with respect to ISO 19993:2007.
