Floors realized in Quercus Cerris laminated timber in buildings with structure in masonry, performing anti-seismic functions

The Basilicata region has a consistent forest heritage, its predominant specie being the Quercus Cerris (Turkish Oak). Since many years, the activities of the La.Te.C. (Laboratory of Technology of the Constructions) of the D.A.P.I.T. (Department of Architecture, Planning and Infrastructures of Transport) in the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Basilicata are focused on the realization of products in wood modified by hygro-thermal conditioning of Quercus Cerris, and particularly of elements in laminated wood for structural use. The Quercus Cerris wood shows some defects and a known difficulty of workmanship, both resolved by the definition of a protocol of treatment of the Quercus Cerris glued laminated timber, regarding the application of specific methods of thermo-hygrometric conditioning. Further tests of breaking strength performed on the material, after its modification, have highlighted its considerable mechanical strength: in fact, obtained results from the laminated wood are worthy of it being a Fagacea (beech tree family), and about four times as much as common laminated timber obtained from resinous ones. The research performed till now has shown the great interest on the use of “conditioned” Quercus Cerris to tackle the problems set by the recovery and the restoration of buildings in the historical centres, specially interventions concerning floors and trussed roofs. The high strength of the material makes it able to solve the problems of historical structures: the replacement of damaged load-bearing wooden elements with Quercus Cerris laminated timber, keeping the size of the section, allows to quintuple load charges. The laminated timber of “conditioned” Quercus Cerris may also be used in innovative structures as wooden floors of a new design, able to perform the role of linking structure and booster of structural masonry, in deformable and not indefinitely rigid way. In particular, models of intervention and abaci were developed for sizing and verification of reticular slabs in wood of conditioned Quercus Cerris, that, thanks to the modest dimension, can be contained in the thickness of the slabs, and are particularly suitable for use in anti-seismic structures.